System and Method for Securing Power and Communications Cables and Associated Hardware Within Crown Molding

ABSTRACT

A system for crown molding that enables safely incorporating electrical and communications cabling within crown molding by creating one or more protected paths which inherently prevent overly sharp bends in crown molding corners and by mitigating damage from penetrating punctures through a decorated face designed to fracture when improperly penetrated by a screw or nail, and enables the secure installation of hardware either concealed within the molding or securely and favorably positioned through the decorative face to view or sense a room, and enables additional cable capacity that is concealed within a light reflector to increase lighting efficacy as well as power and data delivery capacity.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO PREVIOUS RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. Pat. No. 11,519,525 whichissues on Dec. 6, 2022, which is a divisional of U.S. Pat. No.10,697,564 issued on Jun. 30, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. Pat.No. 10,082,227 issued on Sep. 25, 2018, which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Pat. Appln. No. 62/186,418, filed on Jun. 30, 2015, theentirety of the disclosures of which applications and patents is herebyincorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to systems and methods for installingdecorative molding in a building's interior and to making use of thespaces within that molding to safely carry electrical cables, electricalequipment and to provide lighting. In particular, LED lighting has beenidentified as an energy saving alternative for lighting, and hascharacteristics that make it ideal for deployment in a linear fashion,such as within crown molding. LED light sources are also well suited toproviding indirect lighting, such as lighting a space by directlylighting a ceiling, which in turn indirectly lights the space. Indirectlighting such as ceiling directed LEDs within crown molding can alsoimprove the quality of the light as LEDs are a very bright point source,and indirect lighting such as is reflected off of a ceiling will beinherently diffused and smoother. The present invention also addressesthe need for communications cables to be provided and used by some ofthe advanced lighting systems used today, especially those used toconserve energy by coordinating with sensors and the like. Thisinvention also directs toward the ability to safely and securely installhardware, especially as to facilitate the interaction of power cables,communications cables and the lighting system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Crown molding has been used as a platform for lighting for many years,often installed a short distance below a ceiling, still substantiallyhigh on a wall yet allowing for light within the crown molding toilluminate the ceiling and, indirectly, the room within which it isinstalled. Well before the advent of LED lighting electric lighting suchas strings of miniature incandescent lights have been placed withincrown molding to accent a room's lighting. Although this has long beenconsidered desirable, there are challenges to installing this electriclighting. First, the installed lighting needs electricity in order tooperate. In most cases, this is accomplished by connecting to thebuilding's electrical power systems. However, this often requiredrunning electrical wires within the walls and to the crown molding. Thisis needed in almost all implementations of the current state of the art,as most electrical receptacles are mounted close to the floor, and cordsfrom the crown molding to these receptacles would be unsightly.

Given that running electrical wires within the wall is expensive, andcan reduce the attractiveness of a crown molding lighting system, a moredesirable option would be to distribute electrical power by laying wiresin the space between the crown molding and the wall. While this would beconvenient, most electrical codes prohibit most electrical wires thatcarry electrical power to receptacles from being distributed outside awall within crown molding, especially common non-metallic sheathed cable(NM cable). Metal armored electrical cables (MC cables) are oftenapproved to be run outside of walls, and may be permitted to be runbehind crown molding, but would still need to be able to interface withthe luminaire or other desired electrical equipment in a manner that isconsistent with applicable electrical codes.

The interface of building wiring to electrical devices outside the wallin almost all cases requires an electrical box or a dedicated spacewithin the luminaire or other electrical device to safely wireelectrical power to the luminaire, or to connect power cables to eachother or many other electrical interface needs. Without a securelocation within the crown molding to install code compliant electricalboxes and other useful electrical hardware, the expense of installinglighting within standard crown molding can be prohibitive.

Another source of code compliance difficulty involves the ability toprotect cables within the crown molding from unsafe bends. Under mostelectrical codes and requirements, all electrical cables have a definedminimum bend radius. This is a bend radius where any bends sharper thanthat radius are considered unsafe, as they can damage the electricalcable. Minimum bend radii vary by type of cable, but are approximately 1inch for Ethernet type Category 6 cables, and can be higher than 4inches for high capacity MC cable, such as would carry a typical 20 ampbranch circuit for lighting over long distances. This can be a challengewithin existing crown molding as the corners where the crown moldingmeets are typically sharp, with the crown molding itself providing asharp corner where rear surfaces of two straight crown molding sectionsmeet at the intersections of two walls in an inside corner, and thewalls providing a sharp corner where two walls meet in an outsidecorner. An ideal crown molding system for cable distribution wouldprovide a cable path within corners that inherently prevents dangerousbends, as well as a safe location to mount a wide range of electricalhardware, such that the hardware can safely interface with any of thepower and communications cables within the crown molding system andthose power and communications cables can be safely distributedthroughout the interior space within the crown molding system withoutbeing run inside of the walls.

Another factor in the energy efficiency of lighting is the efficacy ofthe luminaire. A high efficacy luminaire is one in which nearly all ofthe light generated reaches the area to be lit. Light producing LEDstypically emit light in a wide beam angle of 120 degrees. By placing anLED light source near the top of the molding and aimed outwardly, mostof the light within that beam angle will light the ceiling as intended.However, a minority of that light will be directed towards the top ofthe wall and the part of the ceiling nearest the wall, where theindirect light will be less effective at lighting the space. A higherefficacy crown molding system would redirect as much of that light aspossible back into effective use.

In addition to saving energy with a transition to LED light sources,advanced lighting systems have also been developed which coordinatelighting levels across a space with sensors and dimming controls. Themost common types of sensors used in advanced lighting systems are photosensors which can measure the light level in a given space and occupancysensors which can sense when a space is occupied or vacant. A controllerunit processes the data from the photo and occupancy sensors and canadjust the output of the lighting system within the space. Deployment ofadvanced lighting systems with sensors and controls can deliverconsiderable energy savings over and above converting lighting to LEDsources. Currently advanced lighting systems are mandated under certainconditions in the State of California under Title 24 legislation and inNew York City under Local Law 88, two major jurisdictions within theUnited States, with mandates for and codes requiring advanced lightingsystems expected in more jurisdictions in the future. One of the majorchallenges of upgrading a legacy lighting system to an advanced lightingsystem is that sensors must be deployed around a space that caneffectively measure that space, with the sensors connected to thelighting system controller and the controller connected to all thelighting fixtures providing general illumination within the space.Wireless connection is developing into an option, but may not be asreliable as a wired network connection, especially for essential areassuch as egress passageways for emergency evacuation. The ability toprovide a lighting system within crown molding within which all of thenecessary components of an advanced lighting system including sensors,controllers and light sources can be easily and safely deployed,connected and powered, would help the deployment of advanced lightingsystems.

Along with the development of LED lighting as an energy savingalternative, digital communications have also greatly increased. Notonly has the amount of data generated and communicated rapidlyincreased, but also the amount of devices that can benefit fromconnectivity have also greatly increased. This has led to a need tocommunicate vast amounts of data from many different devices in abuilding as the Internet of Things (IoT) brings connectivity to a widerange of devices, including to lighting systems. In buildings withsuspended ceilings, deployment of the cabling and devices necessary isfacilitated by the large volume of space above the suspended ceilingwithin which communications cables and power cables can be easilydistributed. However, a large number of buildings, particularly hotelsand multi-family apartment buildings, are built using slab-on-slabconstruction where foundational concrete slabs make up each floor withas little height as possible for each floor between slabs, usually atthe eight-foot minimum required for hotels and apartment buildings bymost building codes in the U.S. In these buildings suspended ceilingsare not often used as they would further reduce the occupant ceilingheight. Also complicating cabling installation is the fact that theceiling is structural concrete, meaning that in most cases electricalcables must be run in the walls. Communications cabling is particularlychallenging because of a frequent upgrade cycle to higher capacity datacables. These upgrades can be very expensive as they often requiringopening up a horizontal trench within the walls to run upgraded cables.The ability to safely include and distribute communications cableswithin crown molding would have particular value if those cablesremained accessible for replacement or upgrade without any buildingconstruction required.

Another area where energy efficiency gains are possible is in theefficient generation and distribution of direct current (DC) power. AllLED lighting must use DC at the light producing LED level, and buildingsare still almost entirely powered by utility-provided alternatingcurrent (AC). Also, many electronic devices as well as heating,ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) could benefit from providing DCcurrent directly. By converting AC to DC within larger centrally locatedhigh efficiency and high capacity rectifiers, efficiency losses due tomany small DC conversions at each device could be averted. One of themajor hurdles to realizing this vision of building-level DC power gridsis the expense of distributing that power from the central rectifiers topoints of use. If a crown molding system could safely distribute newpower cables from a location within the floor of a building close theexisting electrical panel around the interior space of that floor of thebuilding, and those power cables could be installed without the expenseof opening walls, the energy efficiency benefits of a DC power gridretro fit to an older slab-on-slab building might make more economicsense, leading to more energy efficient buildings with lower operatingcost.

Hotel architecture makes it particularly suited to a crown molding basedlighting system due to their usual characteristics. A floor of a hotelused for guest rooms is usually centered around one or more corridors,off of which each hotel room is accessed. The corridors, in particular,are challenging to light using only traditional wall-mounted fixtures.Traditionally, periodic wall mounted sconce-like fixtures are mounted oneach side wall to light the hallway, aiming their light narrowly up anddown the wall. The resulting lighting is accordingly variable, withbright spots at the fixtures and dimmer areas between them. Hotelcorridors are further good targets for an efficient lighting systembecause they also are considered egress ways in the fire protection codeand must be lit, at least at some level, 24 hours a day. Therefore, anenergy saving lighting system would save more energy and reduce costsdue to constant operation. Also, corridors are long relatively narrowspaces well suited to be lit entirely by well-designed indirect lightingfrom crown molding.

In addition, hotel rooms provide an opportunity to take advantage of acrown molding system that can provide efficient lighting, as well ascommunications cabling. First, most hotel rooms are relatively smallspaces where a perimeter lighting system lighting indirectly withincrown molding can provide a substantial portion of the needed light.Further, a crown molding system that can distribute communicationcabling can also enable hotel automation systems, which can contributegreatly to energy savings within hotel rooms. Hotel automation systemscan provide remote management of vacant hotel rooms to minimize theenergy use when a guest is not present, manage the HVAC system to lessenergy consuming settings and even control motorized window coverings toreduce passive heating and cooling. If the communications cablingnecessary to deploy such a system can be easily and safely installedwithin a crown molding system that is itself easily installed, theexpense of installing an energy saving hotel automation system as wellas the revenue lost due to construction time for the retro fit of anexisting hotel could be substantially reduced.

An additional challenge for merging all the benefits of advancements oftechnology within existing buildings which were not originally built toserve these needs is mapping. The Global Positioning System (GPS) hasbecome an essential tool for many people, providing freely available andaccurate location data to many different devices, most notably mobilephones. When accurate and freely available positioning services such asGPS are combined with accurate maps such as are readily available onmobile phones, all manner of location based services can be provided.Most commonly the ability to provide navigation while driving to alocation whose route is not apparent. This use of GPS location datacombined with mapping has become incredibly widespread, even generatingconcerns about dependence on GPS mapping at the expense of other moretraditional navigation skills. The challenge of bringing this widelyadopted service into buildings is that the GPS system requiresline-of-sight view of the sky in order to receive GPS location data.Those who provide mapping services do have the capability of generatingaccurate maps of buildings, however the accurate and freely availableGPS system cannot provide location data reliably indoors. There are somemethods of working around this problem including using the position ofWi-Fi network nodes to triangulate in indoor position. This has beenengineered to provide some location data, but the accuracy of thepositioning data is limited. Further, the location and physical securityof installed Wi-Fi units can vary greatly. In particular, Wi-Fi routersare commonly attached to suspended ceiling grids. Attachment tosuspended ceilings does provide easy access to power and communicationscabling, but does not provide a great degree of physical stability orsecurity, as suspended ceiling tiles are designed to be removed andfrequently are to provide access to the many various services andcabling within a suspended ceiling. For this and other reasons Wi-Filocation data are not uniformly fine grained, and provides anopportunity for improvement in both accuracy and security.

One example where accuracy and security of indoor location data iscritical is in robotic navigation. In particular, providing for a devicesuch as a motorized wheelchair to be able to use both accurate indoormapping combined with accurate fine-grained location data, with highassurance of the accuracy of that data, and employ that information toenable safe transportation of individuals for whom manual navigation ofa motorized wheelchair is challenging or not possible. This exampleillustrates the need for not only accurate data on position, but forhigh confidence that the location data is accurate. In the previousexample of a Wi-Fi router mounted to a suspended ceiling grid, if aservice technician accesses the ceiling to service an item and changesthe position of the Wi-Fi router the location data provided could beincorrect. Ideally a system of location beacons capable of the finegrained accuracy necessary when guiding the safe routing of anindividual via a robotically controlled device would also incorporate amounting location that provides a high degree of mechanical security,ease of installation, and ready access to power and communicationscabling as needed.

Some notes on communications cables, power cables and the NationalElectrical Code may be helpful with respect to the invention describedherein. There are three types of cables referred to herein with respectto the invention. Power cables, fiber optic cables for communicationssignals and copper conductor communications cables. Power cables carrypower can be a safety hazard to people (as in from electrical shock) andcan cause a fire (due to electric spark, generated heat or both) if notprotected accordingly. The safe methods for deploying any electricalsystem with power cables are described in the National Fire ProtectionAssociation's book N.F.P.A. 70, also known as the National ElectricalCode or the NEC. In particular, chapters 1 through 4 describe methods ofsafely deploying power cables and systems that use them. The NEC alsodefines a type of electric cable that carries electricity, but is notconsidered a safety risk due to shock or fire. These circuits arereferred to as Class 2 circuits, and are limited to less than 100 wattsof power, and a maximum of 30 volts. Class 2 circuits are often referredto as “touch safe” and the safety requirements for deployment arerelaxed and less stringent commiserate with the reduced risk. Examplesof Class 2 circuits are copper based communications cables such asEthernet cables of any category type, DC power supplies for LED lightingat 24 volts and 100 watts, and the LED light strips themselves whenpowered by a class 2 power supply. Most electronic devices from digitalthermostats for HVAC control to laptop computers and mobile phones arepowered by a DC class 2 power supply. All class two cables must beprotected from power cables, because a fault in a power cable couldpossibly energize a class 2 cable with dangerous energy levels.Therefore, a crown molding with segregated locations for power cablesand copper communications cables would be desired. Fiber opticcommunications cables, however, are not at all electrically conductiveas they transmit data as light over a non-conductive transparent medium.As such fiber optic cables do not pose a shock or fire risk bythemselves and they are not at risk of being inappropriatelyover-energized due to a fault in power cables. Therefore, the NECpermits fiber optic cables to be co-located with power cables fordistribution.

There are several current approaches in the current state of the art toaddress these issues. Creative Crown (www.creativecrown.com) offers afoam crown molding that is adhered to the wall. The molding is describedas providing a location near the top of the crown molding, however thereis no provision for a reflector to increase efficacy as part of thesystem. There is also no space or provision for a power source for theLED light strip to be contained on within or about the crown molding.Therefore, the power supply must be located outside of the crownmolding. There are provisions for cables to be hidden within the crownmolding, however this appears to be limited to communications wires andaudio speaker wires. There is no provision for minimum bend radius, andthere is no access to the cables once the crown molding is installed onthe wall with adhesive.

In U.S. Pat. No. 7,958,685 B2, Rowholt describes a crown moldingcomprised of two pieces that combine to result in a crown moldingmounted at the junction of a wall and ceiling. There is no provision forlighting; however, Rowholt does describe electrical cable distribution,but this seems limited to low power communications cables, and not powercables. There seems to be no provision for protecting power cables, andtheir inclusion within the molding system is likely to be consideredunsafe. Further, there is no provision for preventing unsafe bends,particularly at outside corners, as illustrated in FIG. 20 . This systemdoes not provide a location or method for electrical hardware orequipment to be safely installed.

Seamans et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,911,597 B2 describe a molding systemof multiple molding types, including crown molding, designed to includeelectrical wiring. For their crown molding Seamans et al. describe amulti-part system that requires mounting at the ceiling. No provisionsfor lighting are included. The molding is described as safe for lowpower wiring only. There are no provisions for installing electricalhardware or other components. There is no provision for limiting thebends of cables so as to not cause damage.

Hoffman, a co-inventor of the present system and method, and MacMillandescribe in U.S. Pat. No. 8,887,460 several crown molding embodiments.The crown molding described in FIG. 10 does show a compartment thatcould hold electrical cables, however no safety provisions for cablebends or cable protection are described. Horizontal support member 72could provide a location for hardware, but no means for securinghardware are described. An electrical component such as an electricalbox could be secured with adhesive to horizontal support member 72,however the component could not be easily removed, moved or replaced.Fasteners such as screws could secure an electrical box to horizontalsupport member 72, however those screws would penetrate into thecompartment below, creating an unsafe condition for any cables containedthere. It would not be feasible to use fasteners to secure an electricalbox to mounting surface 18 and the face of the molding would preventgetting a tool in position. None of the embodiments in the '460 patentwhich all contain closed compartments could contain electrical cablesdescribe any method of installing, accessing or securing cables. Thereis no provision for protecting cables from sharp bends. There is noprovision for a high-efficacy lighting location or reflector.

In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/011,474 Hoffman and MacMillandescribe several embodiments of a crown molding system preferablydesigned to install easily and securely on irregular walls whilemaintaining a preferentially straight crown molding face as seen in theroom. FIGS. 1 through 7 describe a crown molding system whose methodprescribes securing connection between adjacent molding sections with apiercing fastener entering into the enclosed inner space. There is alsono provision for cables entering or exiting the molding system. There isno provision for preventing unsafe bends, nor for securing electricalhardware. Embodiment 2, FIGS. 8 and 9 , describe a crown molding with aclosed compartment, however there are no provisions for safe cable entryor exit, and an electrical hardware on horizontal member would besimilarly difficult to secure in a manner that is removable and does notpenetrate the lower compartment. There is no provision for preventingsharp bends in cables, and no high efficacy lighting location nor areflector. Embodiment 3, illustrated in FIGS. 10 through 13 describes acrown molding similar to embodiment 2, but with a split horizontalmember. The lower compartment is now easily accessed for cables, howeverthere are no provisions for providing a cable path that inherentlylimits bends. There is also no provision for protecting the cables fromdamage by penetration of the decorative face. Bulkhead 96 provides aconvenient surface angled to allow a penetrating fastener to be easilydriven to secure horizontal support structure 100, where that fastenerwill not penetrate the bottom compartment. Horizontal support structureserves to prevent the decorative face pulling away from the rear wall,but is not designed to securing tightly against outer horizontal member98. There is also no high efficacy lighting location, nor anaccompanying light reflector to maximize efficacy.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention facilitates safely routing, securing and usingpower and communications cabling within crown molding. The inventionincludes providing a safe path for electrical cables that inherentlyprevents unsafe or sharp bends that could otherwise damage the cables.This is particularly useful within crown molding, where most spaceswithin which crown molding is installed have corners. The inventioncreates a smoothly curving path or paths, with bends sized as needed,which inherently prevent damaging unsafe or sharp bends and route cablessafely around what would otherwise be a sharp corner at the intersectionof the rear surfaces of crown molding in an inside corner, or the sharpcorner at the intersection of two walls in an outside corner. Theinvention also provides a safe method for cables to enter and exit thecrown molding and any installed equipment and, where a cable path isenclosed, safe entry to that cable path.

The invention also provides a location within the molding, and a methodfor conveniently and safely securing, electrical and other associatedhardware within the molding. Hardware and equipment can be installed inthis location using simple screws or other fasteners in concert with thelever action of a pivot and socket behind the face of the crown moldingto provide secure seating of the equipment without ever piercing orotherwise violating a cable path, and whose installation method neverdisturbs the face of the crown molding. Further, installed equipmentremains visible and accessible from above and yet concealed and hiddenfrom view to occupants of the room below.

The invention also describes a high efficacy light location withplacement of an efficacy increasing light reflector, installedseparately from the molding but an integral part of the crownmolding-based system. This light reflector is an integral part of thiscrown molding system in that it also serves to conceal additional cablecapacity by leveraging the ordinary brackets that place the lightreflector to also provide support for additional cable capacity eitherdirectly or by supporting the installation of known cable supportdevices such as cable tray systems.

This invention also provides a location to securely mount electronicdevices and sensors through the decorative face of the molding. This isdone by providing a dedicated area of the decorative face which isdesigned flat and without decorative curves for a set section of theprofile, and providing a parallel plane of similarly flat surface on therear of the decorative face of the molding. This dedicated area ofparallel flat surfaces is placed deliberately between the communicationscable routing path and the power cables routing path, providing secureand easy access to both. A secure location is particularly important tothe deployment of a coordinated multi-camera array that leveragestechnology outside this invention to combine the output of multiplecameras usefully.

The invention provides for the entirety of cabling installation androuting and all associated equipment installations related to thisinvention to be installed. All of the benefits of this system and methodare deployed after the entire crown molding system has been installedand secured using existing techniques and methods known in the art.Also, any changes or upgrades to the cabling, electrical equipment orsystems installed using this invention can be executed with minimal orno modifications to the base crown molding system. In addition, allhardware and electrical equipment installed within and onto the basecrown molding is readily visible and can be easily inspected, servicedand replaced as needed.

Further areas of applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It shouldbe understood that the detailed description and specific examples, whileindicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended forpurposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope ofthe invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from thedetailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred first embodiment of thepresent invention, which illustrates the longitudinal nature of theinvention (from left to right in this Figure), shown after installationonto a wall and close to the ceiling, and also illustrating theplacement of a light reflector assembly to favorably redirect lightproduced by an LED light strip within the crown molding to the intendedceiling target.

FIG. 2 is a more detailed perspective view of the first embodiment ofthe present invention further detailing the placement of electricalcables within the crown molding and the concealed cable capacity behindthe light reflector, and the communication of those cables between thecrown molding and the light reflector.

FIG. 3 is a profile view of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 thatdetails the crown molding structure onto which this invention isapplied, also illustrating the support mechanism for and location ofelectrical power and fiber optic cables, and the separately locatedcopper based communications cables within the crown molding, within theconcealed location behind the light reflector, and communicated betweenthose two.

FIG. 4 is a more detailed profile view of the installed light reflectorportion of the present invention detailing the installation method ofthe light reflector to the bracket and the bracket to the wall, and theinstallation of a cable tray with a divider to separate power and fiberoptic cables from copper based communications cables in a concealingmanner behind the reflector and supported by the reflector bracket.

FIG. 5 is a more detailed profile view of the installed crown molding ofthe present invention in which the installation method is illustrated aswell as the separate locations for power and fiber optic cables andcopper based communications cables also illustrating the preferredlocation of a flat surface for mounting devices through the face of themolding to view or sense the room or space within which this embodimentis installed.

FIG. 5 a is a magnified profile view taken from within FIG. 5 detailingthe alignment ridges and corresponding alignment channels and, inparticular, the trapezoidal form of the alignment ridges and channels.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view from the top of the present invention inwhich the cable tray floor is illustrated showing the entry and exitpoints for the power and fiber optic cables and, separately, the copperbased communications cables from which these cables can safely transferfrom or to the crown molding portion of this invention, alsoillustrating the method whereby the power and fiber optic cables enterthe power and fiber optic cable location within the crown molding.

FIG. 7 provides two views of an abrasion protection cylinder with alocating washer, a component of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, which locates the cylinder such that the long portion of thecylinder protrudes through a hole in the vertical rear member of thecrown molding and through the wall and into the wall space betweenframing members, and the shorter portion of the abrasion protectioncylinder protrudes through a hole in either the installed equipment intowhich one or more cables is safely routed, or through an installedvertical locating bracket through which the cable is safely routed intothe open space within the crown molding.

FIG. 8 is a side profile perspective view of the crown molding of thepresent invention in which a piece of equipment is mounted securelywithin the crown molding and its cable is safely routed into the wallthrough an abrasion protection cylinder whose locating washer iscompressed between the vertical rear member of the crown molding and thevertical rear member of the installed equipment, also visible are thealignment ridges on either side of the gap within the horizontal memberof the crown molding and the corresponding channels in the bottomsurface of the installed equipment which ensure the proper size of thegap and prevent equipment installation if the gap widens.

FIG. 9 is a profile view of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention detailing the method by which equipment is installed andsecured within the crown molding including the curved hardware socketbehind the decorative face of the molding and corresponding hardwarepivot on the equipment which together facilitate installation of theequipment and, along with the accompanying alignment ridges in themolding and corresponding alignment channels within the equipment,ensure accurate and secure placement using standard screws at the rearof the molding, which are angled favorably for tool use and to avoidentering the lower cable compartment.

FIG. 10 is a view from above of a preferred embodiment of the inventionproviding another view of installed equipment which shows the favorablelocation of the screws which anchor the equipment accurately andsecurely within the crown molding and also illustrating how theequipment cable passes safely through holes in the equipment, crownmolding and wall through a properly located and secured abrasionprotection cylinder.

FIG. 11 is a side perspective view of an inside corner assembly of theinvention which enables the joining of two straight sections of crownmolding and the safe communication of the included cables from onestraight section through the illustrated inside corner to the other byproviding smooth curved cable paths of differing radii that inherentlyprevent damaging sharp bends, and also by a design of the reinforcingfibers within the decorative face of the crown molding which areengineered to enable the decorative face of the crown molding tofracture upon inappropriate penetration, and whose fiber design forfracture can be incorporated throughout all pieces of this embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a view from above of the inside corner assembly shown in FIG.11 which illustrates the larger radius of the curve for power cables andfiber optic cables and the smaller radius curve that is required forcopper based communications as well as the area designed to matedirectly with the straight sections, as well as the transitions from thestraight cable paths to the curved cable paths and the maintainedsegregation of the two cable paths.

FIG. 13 is another side perspective view of inside corner assembly whichillustrates the raised center portion of the larger radius cable pathwith allows for an increased radius of curve within the crown moldingprofile while the sharply angled junction of decorative faces ismaintained and appears to the room as a traditional mitered crownmolding intersection.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the crown moldingassembly of the present invention in which the horizontal member is notdivided but is continuous from the decorative face to the rear of thecrown molding, also illustrated are the similar cable locations as wellas illustrating a camera mounted through the defined area of flat andparallel planes for the front and rear of the decorative face.

FIG. 15 is a profile view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 14 which showsthe similar method of installing hardware, without the gap in thehorizontal member and corresponding alignment ridges and channels, butusing the same curved hardware socket behind the decorative face of thecrown molding and corresponding curved pivot on the hardware to beinstalled, which is then secured by the favorably angled screws at therear of the molding, also illustrated is the nut which is threaded ontothe body of the camera and tightened against the rear of the decorativeface which is parallel in the plane to the front of the decorative facein that section and enables a stable and secure positioning.

FIG. 16 provides two views of an abrasion protection cylinder with alocating washer which locates the cylinder such that the lower portionof the cylinder as seen in the left view protrudes through thecontinuous horizontal member of this alternative embodiment of thepresent invention and into the lower cable compartment, and the upperportion protrudes either to the interior of an installed piece ofequipment or through a bracket designed to locate and secure theabrasion protection cylinder and safely into the open portion of thecrown molding, while the locating washer is compressed underneath theinstalled equipment or bracket.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of theinvention including an enclosed electrical box with removable lid alsoshowing the placement and installation of abrasion protection cylindersso that electrical cables can safely enter or exit the electrical boxfrom the wall and can safely transfer between the electrical box and thelower cable compartment, also illustrated are the LED lighting locationand separate copper communications cables location.

FIG. 18 is a profile view showing an electrical box as it is pivotedinto place with the curved hardware socket behind the decorative face ofthe crown molding and the corresponding pivot on the electrical boxpositively prevent the outer portion of the underside of the electricalbox toward the decorative face from lifting away from the top of thehorizontal member of the crown molding during installation, which isparticularly important when the locating washer of an abrasionprotection cylinder is being installed and will be necessarilycompressed during proper installation.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of an inside corner piece which enablesthe joining of two straight sections of crown molding of thisalternative embodiment and the safe communication of the included cablesfrom one straight section through the illustrated inside corner to theother by providing smooth curved cable paths of differing radii thatinherently prevent damaging sharp bends with the lower cable compartmentin this alternative embodiment remaining enclosed.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view from above of the inside corner pieceshown in FIG. 20 illustrating the enclosed lower cable compartmentthroughout the inside corner section as well as the smaller radiuscopper communications cables cable path, also visible is the sharpcorner where the decorative faces meet, which appears to the room as atraditional mitered crown molding intersection.

FIG. 21 is a top view of the inside corner piece with the otherwisepresent horizontal member rendered invisible to enable a view of theenclosed moderate radius cable path.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of another alternative embodiment of thepresent invention illustrating an assembly of three components, amolding installation block, a standard crown molding of a matchingspring angle to the molding installation block, and a third structurethat when affixed to the crown molding and the crown molding is affixedto the molding installation block, forms a hardware socket behind thedecorative face of the molding into which a corresponding hardware pivoton a piece of hardware to be installed such as the illu stratedelectrical box can be inserted and which is then secured by thefavorably angled screws at the rear of the molding installation block.

FIG. 23 is a profile view of the alternative embodiment of the presentinvention shown in FIG. 22 which details the hardware socket behind thedecorative face of the crown molding and its interaction with thehardware pivot of the installed electrical box which secures theinstalled hardware using the favorably angled screws at the rear of themolding, also illustrated is the screw which affixes the moldinginstallation block to the wall, prior to installation of the standardcrown molding to the molding installation block.

FIG. 24 is a profile view of an additional alternative embodiment of thepresent invention in which the third structure which forms the top ofthe hardware socket behind the decorative face of the standard crownmolding to which it is affixed is adapted to include a location forinstallation of an LED light strip.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the alternative embodiment of thepresent invention shown in FIGS. 22-23 showing the junction of twostraight sections of the molding assembly of this embodiment forming aninside corner with a separate insert providing a singular curved cablepath around the corner that inherently prevents bends sharper than a setradius, also illustrated is the mitered junction of standard crownmolding, and the termination of the molding installation blocks to allowthe standard crown molding to terminate in a standard mitered joint atthe corner, and where the molding installation blocks travel far enoughto enable the curved cable path insert to be fastened with screws in thefavorably angled screw location at the rear of the molding installationblocks.

FIG. 26 is a perspective view from above of the junction of two straightsections shown in FIG. 25 illustrating the curved cable path insert andits installation relative to the termination of the molding installationblocks and the standard mitered intersection of standard crown molding.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best mode or modes of theinvention presently contemplated. Such description is not intended to beunderstood in a limiting sense, but to be an example of the inventionpresented solely for illustration thereof, and by reference to which inconnection with the following description and the accompanying drawingsone skilled in the art may be advised of the advantages and constructionof the invention. Reference will now be made in detail to the preferredimplementation of the present invention as illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numberswill be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

FIGS. 1 through 13 illustrate a first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention. FIGS. 14 through 21 illustrate an alternativeembodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 22 through 26 illustrate athird embodiment of the present invention with FIG. 24 illustrating anadaptation to one portion of that third embodiment. For orientationpurposes, it will be understood that where embodiments of the inventionare described herein with reference to the Figures using terms such as“horizontal”, “top”, “uppermost”, “bottom”, “length”, “height”, andother terms of orientation, such terms are referring specifically to theorientation of the embodiments as they are oriented in the Figures, andas the invention would be normally utilized, and should not be construedin any other limiting manner.

Referring now in particular to FIG. 1 in which the first preferredembodiment of the present invention is shown, straight crown moldingsection 30 and light reflector assembly 31 are shown installed on wall68 within a room having a ceiling 69, with the top edge of lightreflector assembly 31 positioned just below ceiling 69. Although therepresentation of the length of crown molding assembly 30 and lightreflector assembly 31 is finite, it will be understood that the bothcrown molding assembly 30 and light reflector assembly 31 may extendlongitudinally as needed. Horizontal reinforcing structure 49 is alsoillustrated in FIG. 1 and is installed as part of the molding systemwithin which this invention is employed.

A base crown molding system which may be adapted to deploy the firstpreferred embodiment is described in the inventor's pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/011,474, the entirety of which is herebyincorporated by reference. While the crown molding system of theinvention may utilize moldings having other structures and compositions,the crown molding system described therein is designed specifically toattach securely to irregular walls such as are expected in retrofitinstallations of this first preferred embodiment of the presentinvention within existing buildings while crown molding as seen in theroom remains preferentially straight. The crown molding system describedtherein is also designed such that the added weight of any components orother hardware installed within that molding system reinforces thedesired position of the crown molding system on the wall.

Referring now in particular to light reflector assembly 31, whosestructure will be described here and references FIGS. 1-4 and FIG. 6 ,which illustrate the various components described herein. Assembly 31includes a light reflector 55 which in an embodiment is comprised of asimple piece of thin sheet metal or plastic, or other inexpensivematerial whose length is determined by the length of the system to beinstalled, and whose height, illustrated in profile in FIG. 4 , extendsfrom above upper nut and bolt assembly 62 yet some distance belowceiling 69, continuously until it is some distance below lower nut andbolt assembly 62. As illustrated in FIG. 2 , light reflector 55 remainssome distance above crown molding 30. Light reflector 55 is not astructural component, and accordingly only needs to be strong enough tomaintain its smoothly curved shape after it is installed onto brackets60 using nut and bolt assemblies 62. Holes through light reflector 55allowing nut and bolt assemblies 62 to pass through can be drilled atthe installation site prior to installation, and therefore can bepositioned to match the placement of brackets 60 along the length oflight reflector 55. Light reflector 55 is also designed to be easilyremoved by removing nut and bolt assemblies 62, allowing for access tothe other components of light reflector assembly 31, or to improveaccess to any components of crown molding 30. Brackets 60 provide themain support structure of light reflector assembly 31. Brackets 60 areeach composed of a single linear piece of a material such as steel, in awidth of approximately one inch, that is bent from a straight piece toachieve the contours illustrated in FIG. 4 starting at the upperattachment point where bracket is bent so that the end of bracket 60 isparallel to the desired placement of light reflector 55, and apre-drilled hole in bracket 60 facilitates installation of the upperportion of light reflector 55 using nut and bolt assembly 62. Bracket 60then proceeds horizontally to where it meets wall 68, preferably where avertical framing member is present, then travels vertically down thewall where three fasteners 61 secure bracket 60, through pre-drilledholes, to wall 68. Bracket 60 then proceeds horizontally to where it isbent downwards, to an angle that is parallel to the desired placement oflight reflector 60. A pre-drilled hole facilitates installation of lightreflector 55 to the lower attachment portion of bracket 60 using nut andbolt assembly 62. The lower horizontal portion of bracket 60 containspre-drilled holes to facilitate attachment of cable tray 56 and cabletray divider 57 using nut and bolt assemblies 63. Cable tray 56 andcable tray divider 57 are illustrated in profile in FIG. 4 and fromabove in FIG. 6 . Cable tray 56 and cable tray divider 57 are supportedby the lower horizontal portion of bracket 60 and are an integral partof light reflector assembly 31 in this first preferred embodiment of theinvention. Cable tray 56 is made from a strong material, such as sheetsteel, and is bent from a flat sheet with each side of the flat sheetbent up to form the side walls. Cable tray 56 is approximately as longas the installation of light reflector assembly 31. Ventilation andcable access holes are stamped into the floor of cable tray 56 asillustrated in FIG. 6 . Attachment holes are either pre-drilled ordrilled at installation to match the installed spacing of brackets 60,and facilitate nut and bolt assemblies 63 securing cable tray 56 to thelower horizontal portion of bracket 60. Cable tray divider 57 is madefrom a singular piece of sheet steel, with one bend to create anattachment portion that, when attachment holes are drilled, facilitatesattachment within cable tray 56 sharing one nut and bolt assembly 63 foreach bracket 60. The remaining vertical portion of cable tray divider 57provides a fixed barrier within cable tray 56 to divide the compartmentto separate cables. As illustrated in FIG. 6 cable tray divider 57 isinstalled within cable tray 56 at the outer most attachment point alongthe lower horizontal portion of bracket 60, creating a smaller cablecompartment for copper communications cables 58, and a largercompartment for power cable 59 and additional cables 59 if needed. Cabletray divider also creates separate openings across the stampedventilation and cable access holes in the floor of cable tray 56. Cableaccess hole portion 64 allows power cables to access the power cableportion of cable tray 56 from below and cable access hole portion 65allows copper communications cables access to the communications cablesportion of cable tray 56 from below.

Referring now in particular to crown molding 30, whose structure will bedescribed here and references FIGS. 1-3 and FIGS. 5-6 , which illustratethe components described herein. Crown molding 30 comprises two majorstructural sections, a rear section which starts at the top ofattachment portion 51 and extends down to the lowest point 46 on thecrown molding 30, and a front section which starts at the top ofdecorative face 32 at top edge 40 and extends down to meet the rearsection at lowest point 46 on crown molding 30. Because horizontalmembers 43 are not continuous, and are separated by a gap 44, the onlyplace where the front and rear sections meet is lowest point 46 of crownmolding 30. In an embodiment, crown molding 30 will be made of FiberReinforced Polymer (FRP) using a linear process analogous to extrusioncalled pultrusion. Pultrusion involves pulling reinforcing fibersthrough a resin bath and a die which produces the profile shape of crownmolding 30 in a continuous process. FRP pultruded products can beengineered to have tremendous strength and light weight, both propertieswhich are valuable in crown molding 30. Also, the nature and design ofthe reinforcing fibers within crown molding can vary across the piece,resulting in different material properties in different locations of themolding, as viewed in profile. One example of that is described indetail in the above referenced U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/011,474 whereby attachment portion 51 is designed to flex as it isdrawn tightly to an irregular wall, while decorative face 32 remainspreferentially stiff. FRP and pultrusion can be engineered usingstandard practices known to those skilled in the art to provide that andany other described properties as part of this first preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 provides a detailed perspective view of crown molding 30 and FIG.5 provides a detailed profile view of crown molding 30. Both arereferenced in the following description of the structure and componentsof crown molding 30. Attachment portion 51, at the top of the rearsection of crown molding 30, is pierced by fastener 52 which is thendrawn tightly into a framing member within the wall onto which crownmolding 30 is to be installed, securing crown molding 30. In anembodiment, the arrangement of fibers within attachment portion 51 arein only one direction along the length of the molding, allowing theresin matrix to expand and allow penetrating screw 52 to pass throughattachment portion 51 safely without fracturing the molding. Upperportion 53 of the rear section of crown molding 30 travels from thebottom of attachment point 51 to the top of bulkhead 50. Bulkhead 50 isfavorably angled to accept a screw and provide favorable access for ascrew driving tool. FIG. 5 illustrates the use of bulkhead 50 as asecondary installation point for crown molding 30 and as an attachmentpoint for horizontal reinforcing structure 49 within crown molding 30.Horizontal reinforcing structure 49 is employed to reinforce theposition of the front section of the molding as described in theinventor's U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/011,474. Screw 52 travelsthrough horizontal reinforcing structure 49 and bulkhead 50 and into aframing member inside the wall which ensures that lower rear wallcontact surface 47 is secured in place against the wall. The arrangementof fibers within bulkhead 50 are in only one direction along the lengthof the molding, allowing screw 52 to penetrate without damaging bulkhead50. Bulkhead 50 proceeds down vertically from the favorably angledsurface and terminates at the rear-most horizontal member 43. Rear-mosthorizontal member 43 separates lower compartment 33 from the rest ofcrown molding 30, comprising the rear portion of its upper boundary.Rear-most horizontal member 43 starts at gap 44 toward the center ofcrown molding 30 as shown in FIG. 3 and proceeds rearwards horizontallypast the termination of the vertical portion of bulkhead 50 and to therear of crown molding 30 where it ends at the top of lower compartment33 rear wall 48. Rear wall 48 starts at rear-most horizontal member 43and proceeds vertically down until it terminates at lowest point 46.Rear wall 48 is also the rear boundary of lower compartment 33.Decorative face 32 starts where rear wall terminates at lowest point 46on crown molding 30, and travels continuously up along the entire frontsection until it terminates at top edge 40 at the top of the frontsection of crown molding 30. Decorative face 32 is continuous andwithout interruption as it is viewed from within the room within whichit has been installed. The interior side of decorative face 32, however,supports various additional structures described here and illustrated inFIG. 2 and FIG. 5 . Front-most horizontal member 43 starts at gap 44,toward the center of crown molding 30 as viewed in FIG. 5 and proceedshorizontally away from the wall and gap 44 until it terminates at theinterior side of decorative face 32. The underside of front-mosthorizontal member 43 is also the front portion of the upper boundary oflower compartment 33, and the rear of decorative face 32 from lowestpoint 46 to front-most horizontal member 43 comprises the front wall oflower compartment 33. As shown in FIG. 5 the upper surfaces ofhorizontal members 43 each contain an alignment ridge 45, located closeto gap 44, but starting some small distance from gap 44. Each alignmentridge, viewed in profile as shown in FIG. 5 , is trapezoidal in shapewhere the top surface of the trapezoid is parallel to the planeconcurrent with horizontal members 43, and whose bottom surface of thetrapezoid is contiguous and coplanar with the top surface of horizontalmembers 43. The top surface of the trapezoid comprising alignment ridges45 when viewed in profile, is narrower than the bottom of the trapezoid,with the sides angled accordingly. Horizontal reinforcing structure 49contains two corresponding alignment channels 79 which are located,sized and shaped to fit precisely over both alignment ridges 45 whenhorizontal reinforcing structure 49 is installed as illustrated in FIG.5 , provided gap 44 is precisely its designed width. Although horizontalreinforcing structure 49 and its installation method is described in theinventor's referenced U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/011,474,alignment ridges 45 on horizontal surfaces 43 and correspondingalignment channels 79 within horizontal reinforcement structure 49 arenew to this first preferred embodiment of the present invention. Asillustrated in FIG. 5 curved hardware socket 41 starts at thetermination of front-most horizontal member 43 which is closest todecorative face 32. Curved hardware socket 41 continues seamlessly fromthe front-most termination of the flat horizontal upper surface offront-most horizontal member 43 comprising a smoothly curving surfacethat travels nearly, but somewhat less than, 180 degrees at which pointit continues seamlessly into a flat surface that proceeds a shortdistance toward the rear section of crown molding 30 at a slight anglefrom horizontal such that the rear-most portion of the flat uppersurface of curved hardware socket 41 is situated a slightly greaterdistance above front-most horizontal member 43 than is the front-mostportion of the flat upper surface of hardware socket 41. The upper flatsurface of hardware socket 41 concurrently comprises the lower surfaceof hardware socket reinforcing structure 42. Hardware socket reinforcingstructure 42 starts at the upper termination of the curved portion ofcurved hardware socket 41 and continues as described for concurrent flatupper surface of curved hardware socket 41 until it terminates closer tothe center of crown molding 30, where it curves upwards at an anglesimilar to the decorative face and proceeds to the top most portion ofhardware socket reinforcing structure 42 where it forms the loweralignment insert slot present where hardware socket reinforcingstructure 42 joins the interior side of decorative face 32. The innerand outer surfaces of decorative face 32 immediately above hardwaresocket reinforcing structure are not parallel when viewed in profile inFIG. 5 . As decorative face 32 proceeds upwards away from hardwaresocket reinforcing structure 42 the inner and outer surfaces ofdecorative face 32 transition into a flat parallel area 54 of decorativeface 32, within which the inner and outer faces of decorative face 32remain flat and parallel to each other. Flat parallel area 54 terminatesat the lower wall of upper compartment 36. It is noted here that theinterior portion of decorative face 32 between hardware reinforcementsocket 42 and the lower wall of upper compartment 36 contains thestructure for an alignment insert, whose lower slot is also used in theinstallation of horizontal reinforcing structure 49. The structure andmethod as well as the utility of the alignment insert slot is thoroughlydescribed in the inventor's U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/011,474and as its utilization and structure within this preferred embodiment ofthis invention is the same, is not described here. The lower wall ofupper compartment 36 protrudes directly and orthogonally from theinterior side of decorative face 32 and terminates at a point whichconcurrently defines the lower termination of upper compartment 36. Anotch feature protrudes within upper compartment 36 and is built intothe lower wall of upper compartment 36 at its termination away fromdecorative face 32. Decorative face 32 curves outwardly and then back asit proceeds from the lower wall of upper compartment 36 to where itmeets the upper wall of upper compartment 36. The portion of decorativeface 32 between the lower and upper walls of upper compartment 36concurrently comprises the outer wall of upper compartment 36. The upperwall of upper compartment 36 protrudes directly and orthogonally fromthe interior side of decorative face 32, and terminates at a point whichconcurrently defines the upper termination of upper compartment 36. Anotch feature protrudes within upper compartment 36 and is built intothe upper wall of upper compartment 36 at its termination away fromdecorative face 32. The upper wall of upper compartment 36 is ademonstrably more substantial structure than the lower wall of uppercompartment 36, and the side of the upper wall opposite uppercompartment 36 concurrently serves as lighting location 38. Decorativeface 32 proceeds from where the upper wall of upper compartment 36protrudes to its termination at upper edge 40.

Referring now in particular to FIG. 7 of the first preferred embodimentof the present invention, where two views of the same long cylinder 70are illustrated. Long cylinder 70 is formed from a somewhat flexible andelastic material such as vulcanized rubber or one of any number offormulations of polymers and other plastics which are known in the art.The relationship between the material properties of strength to hold itsoriginal shape, flexibility to deform as needed at installation and theelasticity to return to its original molded shape once installed will besuch that long cylinder 70 can reliably return to its molded shape afterinstallation, and yet remain somewhat flexible, especially at the farends of the cylinder. Once a suitable polymer or rubber material ischosen based on standard materials properties know in the art, longcylinder 70 is injection molded into a cylinder whose inner diameter isconsistent from end to end, and provides a protected cable path 74without interruption. The outer diameter of long cylinder 70 is alsoconstant from end to end, except where it is interrupted by locatingwasher 73. Locating washer 73 is formed as an integral part of longcylinder 70, and divides the cylinder into long portion 71 and shortportion 72.

Now referring in particular to FIGS. 8-10 of the first preferredembodiment of this invention. FIG. 8 provides in a perspective view anassembly of crown molding 30 with location beacon 75 and long cylinder70 installed on horizontal members 43. FIG. 9 provides a profile view ofthe same assembly and FIG. 10 provides a view of the same assembly fromabove. The structure of crown molding 30 as illustrated in FIGS. 8-10 isthe same as is described above. The structure of long cylinder 70 isalso the same as is described above, with locating washer 73 locatedbetween vertical portion 81 of location beacon 75 and upper portion 53of the rear section of crown molding 30. Location beacon 75 is comprisedof a main body portion, which is mounted securely to, or moldedcontiguously with, hardware platform 76. Antenna 82 is an integralcomponent of location beacon 75 and is positioned within location beacon75 such that it can send and receive signals through the upper portionof the front section of crown molding 30 that is above horizontalmembers 43. Cable 83 carries communications and power to facilitate theoperation of location beacon 75. Cable 83 starts at the main bodyportion of location beacon 75 and travels through protected cable path74 of long cylinder 70 and into the wall onto which crown molding 30 isinstalled. Hardware platform 76 is formed from a high strength material,such as one of many high strength plastics, and is designed so that itdoes not flex or otherwise deform as it is installed within crownmolding 30 nor during its use thereafter. Hardware platform 76, asviewed in profile in FIG. 9 , whose top surface of the outer-mosthorizontal portion of hardware platform 76 starts at the termination ofthe lowest vertical front-facing portion of the body of location beacon75, where the body portion of location beacon 75 joins hardware platform76, proceeds horizontally until it terminates at the top-most portion ofhardware platform pivot 80, which is curved to precisely mate with theslightly-less-than-180-degrees curved portion of curved hardware socket41 on the interior of the front section of crown molding 30. Hardwareplatform pivot 80 starts at the termination of the top surface of theouter-most portion of hardware platform 76 and travels through a curveof precisely 180 degrees, in a manner that mates precisely with thecurved portion of curved hardware socket 41, and terminates at thetransition from the bottom of the curve of hardware platform pivot 80 tothe bottom horizontal surface of hardware platform 76. The bottomsurface of hardware platform 76 proceeds horizontally from the bottomtermination of the curve of hardware platform pivot 80 until it meetsthe bottom of the front-most alignment channel 79, whose trapezoidalshape mates precisely with the similarly trapezoidal alignment ridge 45on front-most horizontal member 43. The bottom surface of hardwareplatform 76 proceeds horizontally from the bottom of the opposite sideof front-most alignment channel 79 to the bottom of the rear-mostalignment channel 79, whose trapezoidal shape precisely mates with thesimilarly trapezoidal alignment ridge 45 on rear-most horizontal member43. The bottom surface of hardware platform 76 proceeds from the bottomof the opposite side of rear-most alignment channel 79 until curvesupwards and away from rear-most horizontal surface 43 and terminates atthe vertical portion of bulkhead mating portion 77. The structure ofhardware platform 76 is such that the surface of hardware platform 76,from the top of hardware platform pivot 80 to the rear-most portion ofthe bottom horizontal surface of hardware platform 76 which curves awayfrom rear-most horizontal member 43, mates directly against the curvedportion of curved hardware socket 41 and directly against all upwardfacing surfaces along both horizontal members 43 except across gap 44where horizontal members 43 are absent, including mating directlyagainst all 3 sides of alignment ridges 45. The vertical portion ofbulkhead mating portion 77 of hardware platform 76 proceeds vertically,as viewed in profile in FIG. 9 of the first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, from the termination of the bottom surface ofhardware platform 76 vertically and against the interior surface of thevertical portion of bulkhead 50 within crown molding 30, where it thencurves to mate against the favorably angled portion of bulkhead 50.Bulkhead mating portion 77 of hardware platform 76 terminates where itmeets the lowest most portion of vertical member 81 of hardware platform76, and vertical member 81 proceeds vertically and mated against upperportion 53 of the rear section of crown molding 30, where it terminatesat the upper edge of vertical member 81 of hardware platform 76. Asillustrated in FIGS. 8-10 , vertical member 81 has a hole sized to allowshort portion 72 of long cylinder 70 to pass through, but of a smallerdiameter than locating washer 73 which is illustrated in FIG. 7 . Upperportion 53 of the rear section of crown molding 30 has a correspondinghole sized to allow long portion 71 of long cylinder 70, but of asmaller diameter than locating washer 73. The rear surface of verticalmember 81 of hardware platform 76 includes a relief depression in therear surface centered around the hole that mates with locating washer 73resulting in partial compression of locating washer 73 as verticalmember 81 is mated against upper portion 53 of crown molding 30 withlong cylinder 70 through both holes and locating washer 73 betweenvertical member 81 and upper portion 53. A single screw 78 penetratesthe favorably angled portion of bulkhead mating portion 77 of hardwareplatform 76 and penetrates the favorably angled portion of bulkhead 50of crown molding 30 when viewed in profile in FIG. 9 , and two separatescrews 78 installed in the same manner, as viewed in FIG. 8 and FIG. 10, structurally complete the assembly of crown molding 30, locationbeacon 75 and long cylinder 70 as illustrated in FIGS. 8-10 in the firstpreferred embodiment of the present invention.

The particular design and structure of the main body portion of locationbeacon 75 excluding hardware platform 76, as it relates to the firstpreferred embodiment of the present invention, is limited to providingan integral antenna that is structured so that it can send and receivesignal through the upper portion of the front section of crown molding30 above horizontal members 43, and whose structure is at least somedistance removed from all structures which are part of the interiorportion of the upper portion of crown molding 30 above curved hardwaresocket 41 where that distance between both the main body portion oflocation beacon 75 and any interior structures including decorative face32, and distance between antenna 82 and any interior structuresincluding decorative face 32, is at least sufficient to allow properplacement of hardware platform 76 onto horizontal surfaces 43 duringinstallation and thereafter.

In particular now referring to FIGS. 11-13 of the first preferredembodiment, where inside corner 84 is shown in several different views.FIG. 11 is a side perspective view of inside corner 84. FIG. 12 is aview from above inside corner 84. FIG. 13 is a side perspective viewfrom a different angle that that illustrated in FIG. 11 . The structureof inside corner 84 is a similar composite of fiber reinforced polymer(FRP) to crown molding 30 or may be formed of a suitable other plasticpolymer with similar properties, however because of the non-linearnature of inside corner 84, a molding process known in the art tomanufacturers of FRP products and other plastics may be used to moldinside corner 84 in several parts which are later assembled to forminside corner 84. Alternatively, inside corner 84 could be manufacturedusing iterative or 3 d printing processes, which are capable of printingcomplex parts such as inside corner 84 without assembly. Whichevermethod of manufacture is chosen, the current state of the art ofmanufacturing can be employed to manufacture inside corner 84. Theproperties of inside corner as a molding system are described in theinventor's U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/011,474, and are appliedin the same way to the structure of inside corner 84. The structure asit relates to the first preferred embodiment of this invention isdescribed here. There are three structural profile sections whichcomprise the structure of inside corner 84 as it relates to the firstpreferred embodiment of the present invention. Profile section 85 is asection of short length which starts at each end of inside corner 84,and travels a short distance along inside corner 84 terminating at thebeginning of transition section 89. Profile section 85 has featureswhich are exactly similar and matching to crown molding 30, both insidecrown molding 30 and along decorative face 32. Profile section 85matches exactly the structure in profile of crown molding 30 tofacilitate joining sections of crown molding 30 to each end of insidecorner 84. Transition section 89 travels a short distance starting atthe termination of profile section 85 and terminating where eachtransition section meets the singular third profile section which ishereafter referred to as the curved path section, which comprises theremainder of the molding section of inside corner 84 between bothtransition sections 89. Crown molding 30 contains internal structures inaddition to lower compartment 33 and upper compartment 36. The onlystructural pieces that relate to this first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention and remain within the curved path section of insidecorner 84 to serve the purpose of the present invention are cable paths87 and 88. Cable path 87 starts at the termination of profile section 85and proceeds through transition section 89 and continues through thecurved path section, entering the other transition section 89 travellingthrough and terminating at the other profile section 85. The structureof cable path 87 is such that there are no corners within cable path 87,and no bends sharper than a minimum radius of approximately 4 inches. Asdescribed in the inventor's U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/011,474a connector insert is inserted a short distance into lower compartment36 of a crown molding 30 section, that is to be joined to one of theinside corner profile sections 85, which remaining portion of theconnector insert is inserted into profile section 85 of the insidecorner, thereby ensuring alignment of the lower portion of decorativefaces 32 where they abut. The beginning portion of cable path 87, fromits start where profile section 85 meets transition section 89, startsto separate from the interior side of decorative face 32 curvingsmoothly away from the interior side of decorative face 32 both as theupper edge of cable path 87 climbs steadily higher within the interiorof inside corner 84 until it smoothly transitions into the curved pathsection providing a large radius cable path 87. At the same time as theupper edge of curved path 87 moves smoothly upwards and inwards awayfrom decorative face 32 within transition section 89, the lower floor ofcable path 87 similarly moves smoothly higher within transition section89. The structural height of cable path 87 continues to rise until itpeaks in the corner of inside corner 84. This smoothly raised cable path87 is thereby enabled to provide a smoothly curving cable path startingfrom lower compartment 33 within an abutting crown molding 30, through atransition zone and into an elevated smooth curve of large radius thatthen transitions smoothly back down and into lower compartment 33 of theother abutting crown molding 30. Cable path 88 provides a cable pathwithin inside corner 84 with no bends sharper than a small radius ofapproximately one inch that transitions cables within upper compartment36 of a section of crown molding 30 that abuts an inside corner 84,through inside corner 84 and back into upper compartment 36 of anothersection of crown molding 30 which abuts the other side of inside corner84. Cable path 88 has no structure within transition section 89 andbegins abruptly at the end of transition section 89 and provides asmooth cable path whose bends are no sharper than a radius ofapproximately one inch. When viewed in profile, curved path 88 starts atits upper edge and travels towards the interior side of decorative face32 and curves smoothly at the interior side of decorative face 32 andproceeds away from the interior side of decorative face 32 where itterminates at its lower edge. Decorative faces 32 of inside corner 84meet in what appears to be a perfectly mitered junction of two straightsections of crown molding 30 when viewed from the room, although theyare contiguous as one part of the molded, 3d printed or otherwisemanufactured inside corner 84. Fiber structure 90 provides arepresentation of what the fiber structure within an FRP manufactureddecorative face 32. Although fiber structure 90 is represented in FIG.11 on one decorative face 32 of inside corner 84, the fiber structurewill be present throughout the structure of all decorative faces 32,including crown molding 30, throughout this first embodiment of thepresent invention. Fiber structure 90 indicates a fiber structure withincreased directionality than what would otherwise be present in an FRPpiece. The purpose of increased directionality of reinforcing fibers isto prevent decorative face 32 from expanding around the point ofinsertion of a nail or screw thereby causing decorative face 32 tofracture in a manner that renders the damaged section of either crownmolding 30 or inside corner 84 unable to hold the fastener and therebyprotecting cables and other items and structures behind decorative face32 from damage.

The structure of crown molding 30, light reflector assembly 31 andinside corner 84 has been described in this first preferred embodimentof the present invention. Crown molding 30, light reflector assembly 31and inside corner 84 are the only three items detailed in the figures,where the three provide a representative and detailed view of thecharacteristics of this first preferred embodiment of this invention.However, they are not meant to be limiting by their inclusion. Forexample, the same principles of this first embodiment of this inventionwhich are described in FIGS. 11-13 in view of inside corner 84, can bedirectly applied to an outside corner of the same system, where thecurved cable paths protect cables from being pulled against the sharpcorner of the wall instead of against the sharp corner of intersectingdecorative faces, as does inside corner 84.

Referring now in particular to FIGS. 14 and 15 which illustrate a secondpreferred embodiment of the present invention where FIG. 14 provides aperspective view of an assembly of crown molding 96, camera 97, hardwareplatform 76, and long cylinder 70 where long cylinder 70 and hardwareplatform 76 are concealed. FIG. 15 provides a profile view of anassembly of crown molding 96, camera 97, hardware platform 76 and longcylinder 70. The structure of crown molding 96 is largely similar in thedesign of its structures and decorations, yet the elimination of gap 44resulting in a single continuous horizontal member 43 has a large impacton the use of this second preferred embodiment of the present invention.In addition to the elimination of gap 44 and resulting singularcontinuous horizontal member 43, alignment ridges 45 are eliminated.Apart from the elimination of gap 44 resulting in singular continuoushorizontal member 43 and the elimination of alignment ridges 45, thestructure of crown molding 96 is as defined for crown molding 30 in thefirst preferred embodiment. Hardware platform 76 in this secondpreferred embodiment of the present invention is mostly the same withrespect to structure as hardware platform 76 as described in the firstembodiment of the present invention. Alignment channels 79 have beeneliminated, as has location beacon 75. In addition, the horizontalportion of hardware platform 76 is thinner, when viewed in profile inFIG. 15 . The upper surface of the horizontal member of hardwareplatform 76 proceeds from the upper termination of hardware platform 80toward the rear section of crown molding 96 angled downward towardhorizontal member 43 until it reaches the reduced thickness of thehorizontal member of hardware platform 76, at which point the uppersurface of the horizontal member of hardware platform 76 proceedsrearward parallel to the bottom surface of the horizontal member ofhardware platform 76 until it terminates at the bottom of the verticalportion of bulkhead mating portion 77. The remaining structure ofhardware platform 76 in this second preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, as illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15 , is as described forhardware platform 76 in the first embodiment of the present invention.The structure of long cylinder 70, as well as its placement within theassembly with respect to hardware platform 76 and crown molding 96 isthe same as is described for long cylinder 70, as well as its placementwithin the assembly of crown molding 30 and hardware platform 76 in thefirst embodiment of this invention. As illustrated in FIG. 15 of thepresent invention, power and communications cable 101 provides power andcommunications using a common protocol such as Power over Internet tocamera 97, and then travels through protected cable path 74 and into theinterior wall space.

Now referring in particular to FIG. 16 of the second preferredembodiment of the present invention wherein two views of the same shortcylinder 91 are presented. Short cylinder 91 is formed from a somewhatflexible and elastic material such as vulcanized rubber or one of anynumber of formulations of polymers and other plastics which are known inthe art. The relationship between the material properties of strength tohold its original shape, flexibility to deform as needed at installationand the elasticity to return to its original molded shape once installedwill be such that short cylinder 91 can reliably return to its moldedshape after installation, and yet remain somewhat flexible, especiallyat the far ends of the cylinder. Once a suitable polymer or rubbermaterial is chosen based on standard materials properties know in theart, short cylinder 91 is injection molded into a cylinder whose innerdiameter is consistent from end to end, and provides a protected cablepath 95 without interruption. The outer diameter of short cylinder 91 isalso constant from end to end, except where it is interrupted bylocating washer 94. Locating washer 94 is formed as an integral part ofshort cylinder 91, and divides the cylinder into a short portion 93 andlong portion 92, where long portion is only moderately longer than shortportion 93.

Now referring in particular to FIGS. 17 and 18 of the second preferredembodiment of this invention, where FIG. 17 illustrates a perspectiveview of an assembly of crown molding 96, electrical container 102, longcylinder 70 and short cylinder 91. FIG. 18 provides a profile view ofcrown molding 96 and electrical container 102 where electrical container102 is pivoting within the crown molding, as in during installation ofelectrical container. Cylinders 70 and 91 are not illustrated withinFIG. 18 . Electrical container 102 hardware pivot 80, the bottom surfaceof bottom wall 107, the outer surface of bulkhead mating portion 106 andthe rear surface of rear wall 108 all mate with crown molding 96 asdescribed previously for hardware platform 76, with an additionalprovision for a hole in both bottom wall 107 of hardware container 102,and a corresponding hole through horizontal member 43 of crown molding96, and a relief area around the hole on the bottom surface of bottomwall 107 to enable partial compression of locating washer 94 of shortcylinder 91 whereby locating washer 94 is located between the bottomsurface of bottom wall 107 and the top surface of horizontal member 43as illustrated in FIG. 17 . Electrical container 102 structure includesa short horizontal member by which hardware pivot 80 is attached tofront wall 103. This structure comprises a bottom surface whichseamlessly continues the bottom surface of bottom 107 of electricalcontainer 102 which proceeds horizontally until it terminates at thebottom of hardware pivot 80. Hardware pivot 80 curves from thehorizontal bottom surface through slightly more than 180 degrees in amanner that mates precisely with curved hardware socket 41 of crownmolding 96, at which point hardware pivot 80 terminates and seamlesslytransitions to the flat upper surface of the short horizontal portionwhere it proceeds toward front wall 103 at a slight downward angle,curving upwards to provide a thicker short horizontal member where itthen terminates where it contiguously intersects front wall 103.Electrical container is further comprised of side walls 104 and aremovable lid 105. Electrical container 102 may be manufactured from anysuitable material that is strong and will not flex, particularly at theshort horizontal member which connects and locates hardware pivot 80.There may be uses of electrical container 102 for which the NationalElectrical Code calls for electrical container 102 to be constructed ofmetal, in which case electrical container 102 may be manufactured frommetal such as stamped and formed steel using methods known in the art,to form the structure described herein.

Now referring in particular to FIGS. 19-21 of the second preferredembodiment of the present invention, in which inside corner 109 isillustrated. FIG. 19 provides a perspective view from the side of insidecorner 109. FIG. 20 provides a perspective view of inside corner 109from above. FIG. 21 provides an additional perspective view of crownmolding 109 from above within which horizontal member 43 is renderedinvisible in order to provide a more complete view of cable path 112which is otherwise obscured by horizontal member 43. The view of cablepath 112 illustrated in FIG. 21 is for descriptive purposes only, as thestructure of inside corner 109 will always include a horizontal member43. The structure of inside corner 109 is a similar composite of fiberreinforced polymer (FRP) to crown molding 96 or may be formed of asuitable other plastic polymer of similar properties, however because ofthe non-linear nature of inside corner 109, a molding process known inthe art to manufacturers of FRP products and other plastics may be usedto mold inside corner 109 in several parts which are later assembled toform inside corner 109. Alternatively, inside corner 109 could bemanufactured using iterative or 3d printing processes, which are capableof printing complex parts such as inside corner 109 without requiringassembly. Whichever method of manufacture is chosen, the current stateof the art of manufacturing can be employed to manufacture inside corner109. The properties of inside corner 109 as a crown molding system aredescribed in the inventor's U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/011,474,and are applied in the same way to the structure of inside corner 109.The structure as it relates to the second preferred embodiment of thisinvention is described here. There are three structural profile sectionswhich comprise the structure of inside corner 109 as it relates to thesecond preferred embodiment of the present invention. Profile section110 is a section of short length which starts at each end of insidecorner 109, and travels a short distance along inside corner 109terminating at the beginning of a short transition section 111. Profilesection 110 has features which are exactly similar and matching to crownmolding 96, both inside crown molding 96 and along decorative face 32.Profile section 110 matches exactly the structure in profile of crownmolding 96 to facilitate joining sections of crown molding 96 to eachend of inside corner 109. Transition section 111 travels a shortdistance starting at the termination of profile section 110 andterminating where each transition section meets the singular thirdprofile section which is hereafter referred to as the curved pathsection, which comprises the remainder of the molding section betweenboth transition sections 111. Crown molding 96 contains internalstructures in addition to lower compartment 33 and upper compartment 36.The only structural pieces that relate to this second preferredembodiment of the present invention and remain within the curved pathsection of inside corner 109 and serve to the purpose of the presentinvention are cable paths 112 and 88. Cable path 112 starts at thetermination of profile section 110 and proceeds through short transitionsection 110 and continues through the curved path section which is ofmoderate radius of approximately 1.5 inches, entering the other shorttransition section 111 travelling through and terminating at the otherprofile section 110 while horizontal member 43 remains as illustrated inFIGS. 19 and 20 and whose structure is uninterrupted providing for acompletely enclosed lower compartment throughout inside corner 109. Thestructure of cable path 112 is such that there are no corners orstructural obstructions within cable path 112, and no bends sharper thana moderately sized minimum radius of approximately 1.5 inches. Asdescribed in the inventor's U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/011,474aconnector insert is inserted a short distance into lower compartment 36of a crown molding 96 section, that is to be joined to one of the insidecorner profile sections 110, which remaining portion of the connectorinsert is inserted into profile section 110 of the inside corner,thereby ensuring alignment of the lower portion of decorative faces 32where they abut. The beginning portion of cable path 112, from its startwhere profile section 110 meets short transition section 111, starts toseparate from the interior side of decorative face 32 curving smoothlyaway from the interior side of decorative face 32 both as the upper edgeof cable path 112 climbs a small amount closer to horizontal surface 43within the interior of inside corner 109 until it smoothly transitionsinto the curved path section providing a moderate radius cable path 112.The structural height of cable path 112 continues to rise a small amountuntil it peaks in the corner of inside corner 109. This smoothly raisedcable path 112 is thereby enabled to provide a smoothly curving cablepath starting from lower compartment 33 within an abutting crown molding96, through a short transition zone and into a somewhat elevated smoothcurve of moderate radius that is completely enclosed within lowercompartment 33 by horizontal member 43, lower compartment rear wall 48and the lower portion of decorative face 32 and cable path 112 withininside corner 109 such that the entirety of the cable path from lowercompartment 33 of one straight section of crown molding 96 throughinside corner 109 and then into lower compartment 33 of a secondattached straight section of crown molding 96 is completely enclosed,and without obstruction while bending with a radius no smaller than amoderate radius of approximately 1.5 inches. Cable path 88 has nostructure within short transition section 89 and begins abruptly at theend of transition section 89 and provides a smooth cable path whosebends are no sharper than a small radius of approximately one inch. Whenviewed in profile, curved path 88 starts at its upper edge and travelstowards the interior side of decorative face 32 and curves smoothly atthe interior side of decorative face 32 and proceeds away from theinterior side of decorative face 32 where it terminates at its loweredge. Decorative faces 32 of inside corner 109 meet in what appears tobe a perfectly mitered junction of two straight sections of crownmolding 96 when viewed from the room, although they are contiguous asone part of the molded, 3d printed or otherwise manufactured insidecorner 109.

Referring now to FIGS. 22-26 in which a third embodiment of the crownmolding assembly of the present invention is shown, crown moldingassembly 113 is comprised generally of a standard crown molding section114, a molding installation block 117, and a hardware socket formingstructure 123. Standard crown molding 114 has a decorative face 32, arear surface 115, and a wall contact surface 116 which is angleddownwardly from the lower end of rear surface 115. Standard crownmolding 114 can be any profile of crown molding as long as the springangle is that which the system is designed for, and the profile is abovea minimum profile height. Molding installation block 117 includes amolding attachment surface 118 against which the rear surface 115 ofmolding section 114 is secured, a wall contacting surface 119, abulkhead 50 having a surface angled favorably to accept a screw andprovide favorable access for a screw driving tool, and a horizontalsurface 120 extending between bulkhead 50 and the upper end of themolding attachment surface 118. A plurality of installation screws 121are provided to securely fasten molding installation block 117 to thewall onto which the crown molding assembly is to be installed, whilefasteners such as finishing nails 122 are used to secure the crownmolding 114 to the molding installation block with the rear surface 115of molding 114 against molding attachment surface 118.

Structure 123 is also secured to the rear surface of molding section 115above and slightly spaced apart from molding installation block 117.More particularly, rear surface 124 of structure 123 is adhered, nailed,stapled, or otherwise secured to rear surface 115 of molding 114 suchthat lower surface 125 is precisely positioned at a set distance awayfrom horizontal surface 120 of molding installation block 117 as well asfrom wall contact surface 116 of molding 114. As a result, a hardwaresocket 126 having a set spacing between lower surface 125 of structure123 and horizontal surface 120 of molding installation block 117 withincrown molding assembly 113 is provided. As explained in greater detailbelow, the described structure provides a system and method for securingand installing hardware within crown molding assembly 113 anywhere alongthe length of the molding assembly subsequent to being installed.

Also shown is an electrical container 127 having a lower portion 128,and a lid portion 129 which is detachably securable to lower portion128. Lower portion 128 includes a plurality of side walls 130, whichside walls may include one or more prefabricated cutouts of variousstandard sizes to facilitate the use of standard electrical components.As shown in FIG. 22 , a cable connector 131 is also provided on one ofthe side walls 130 to enable safe connection and entry of non-metallicsheathed electrical cable into electrical container 127. Lower portion128 of electrical container 127 also includes a hardware installationpivot or tab 132 extending outwardly from the lower edge of the sidewall 130 which is facing toward molding 114, which pivot 132 is sized tobe snugly inserted into hardware socket 126 of molding assembly 113 in amanner explained in detail below. In addition, a surface of lowerportion 128 of container 127 opposite pivot 132 is angled to facilitatebeing secured against the angled section of bulkhead 50, and containerinstallation structures 133 are provided on opposite sides of thecontainer for securing lower portion 128 of container 127 to bulkhead 50using hardware fasteners 134 after installation pivot 132 has beeninserted in hardware socket 126. An external power cord connector 135 isalso secured to one of the side walls 130 of lower container portion 128using fasteners 136.

As illustrated in FIG. 24 , the hardware socket forming structure 123illustrated in FIGS. 22-23 has been modified to also serve as an LEDlight holding structure 137. Modified structure 137 may be secured tothe rear surface 115 of crown molding 114 in the same manner asstructure 123, but in addition including LED light strip location 38 onwhich an LED light may be secured as described in an earlier embodiment.

FIGS. 25 and 26 illustrate the intersection of two crown moldingassemblies 113 as would occur at an inside corner where two walls meet.Each assembly as it approaches the corner consists of one crown molding114 connected to a respective molding installation block as describedabove, where each molding block 117 is attached to the wall as describedabove and terminates some short distance before the top-most portions ofcrown moldings 114 meet at the top most portion of mitered joint 138.Mitered joint 138 is a standard junction of crown molding sections 114,and where moldings 114 are cut and joined as is common in the currentstate of the art for crown molding installation involving mitered jointsat inside corners. Curved path insert 139 is a unitary rigid plasticmolded piece formed as is illustrated in FIGS. 25 and 26 . Curved pathinsert 139 includes an angled structure 140 for securing the insert tobulkhead 50 using fasteners 141, a horizontal portion 142 which as shownin FIGS. 25-26 is installed against the horizontal surface 120 of themolding installation block 117, and an upwardly extending curved section143 which extends upwardly from horizontal portion 142 on the side ofinsert 139 opposite angled structures 140. Curved path insert 139, onceinstalled as described above, provides a moderate diameter cable paththat inherently prevents NM type cable from damaging bends.

Having described the structure of three preferred embodiments of thepresent invention the methods of use and benefits of those methods arenow described.

The first step in the deployment of the first and second embodiments ofthe present invention is to install the crown molding and all moldingcomponents such as inside corners and outside corners as is described inthe inventor's U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/011,474, within whichan enabling description is provided. Description of the application ofthe first and second embodiments of the present invention to theinstalled crown molding follows herein.

Several specific components of this system and invention have particularcharacteristics which benefit from the present invention, and will bedescribed with those benefits here.

Referring now in particular to the challenge identified in thebackground to this invention, indoor mapping is an area of potentialwithin buildings that has not yet been fully realized. Technology isreadily available to accurately map interior spaces within buildingsbut, due to the inability to reliably use GPS location data, locationservices are not employed as easily as they are outside. A method ofemploying a system of interconnected location beacons which areinstalled securely in a manner that they cannot be easily moved, in alocation from which they can readily broadcast location data to and fromrecipient persons, devices or equipment, and is easily installed withready access to power and communications cabling is described here as itwould be deployed within the first embodiment of the present invention.A separate discussion of the deployment of a similar system within thesecond embodiment of the present invention will follow. Location beacon75, as it would appear when installed in crown molding 30, isillustrated in FIGS. 8-10 within the first embodiment of the presentinvention, and those Figures are referenced in the description of thissystem. A location beacon 75 serves as a single node of aninterconnected system of similar location beacons 75, wherein each isdeployed as illustrated in FIGS. 8-10 around an interior space withincrown molding 30. The location beacons 75 are connected to a widernetwork by communications cables either within crown molding 30 or viacable through and into the wall, and location beacons 75 additionallyestablish two-way communications via broadcast with persons, devices orother equipment, including other location beacons 75, within the space.The two-way broadcast communications with persons, devices and equipmentwithin the space enables the provision of location services byestablishing the precise position of a person, device or equipmentrelative to multiple location beacons 75 within the space, whoselocations are mechanically secure within crown molding 30 and preciselydefined. Two-way broadcast communications between location beacons 75 isalso designed to detect any movement of any one location beacon 75relative to the others, in which case an alarm is generated and thesystem can be assessed for accuracy and corrected accordingly, therebyprotecting the accuracy and integrity of the system.

As previously described, crown molding 30 is formed from fiberreinforced polymer (FRP) using the continuous process of pultrusion. FRPhas favorably properties toward the deployment of an interconnectedsystem of location beacons 75, notably that the FRP material is radiotransparent, and freely passes radio signals to and from locationbeacons 75 from antenna 82 behind decorative face 32, allowing locationbeacons 75 to operate while remaining concealed behind decorative face32. The elevated position of crown molding 30 on the wall combined withthe positioning and design of antenna 82 are favorable to broadcastingand receiving signals from persons, devices and other enabled hardwarewithin and travelling through the space, in addition to sending andreceiving signals from other nearby location beacons 75. Theinstallation process for a location beacon 75 is as follows. First, theinstaller identifies a location within a straight section of crownmolding 30 where no other equipment, connecters for abutting sections30, or other obstructions impede installation. In particular, rear wall53, bulkhead 50, the upper surface of both horizontal members 43 andcurved hardware pivot 41 should be clear of obstruction. Second, a holeis drilled through upper portion 53 of the rear section of crown molding30, positioning the hole to ensure alignment with a hole that is formedinto vertical member 81 of hardware platform 76. The hole through upperportion 53 must be drilled at an angle using an appropriate drill guidefor drill placement. The drill bit must be appropriate for drillingthrough FRP, such as an abrasive bit. After drilling the hole throughupper portion 53, long portion 71 of long cylinder 70 is inserted intothe hole and protruding through upper portion 53 of crown molding 30 andthrough the wall onto which crown molding 30 is installed, untillocating washer 73 is against the interior surface of upper portion 53of the rear section of crown molding 30. Location beacon 75 can thenthen be placed within crown molding 30 by first placing hardware pivot80 firmly within curved hardware socket 41, with the rear of hardwareplatform 76 toward bulkhead mating portion 77 elevated somewhat off ofrear-most horizontal surface 43. FIG. 18 of the second embodimentillustrates a different piece of hardware, shown in a position and at anattitude similar to that of location beacon 75 at this point ofinstallation. Hardware platform 76 and, accordingly, location beacon 75can now be rotated into place with hardware pivot 80 of hardwareplatform 76 firmly seated against curved hardware socket 41. Afterrotation hardware platform 76 will be firmly mated against the entiretyof each horizontal member 43, bulkhead 50 and upper portion 53 of therear section of crown molding 30. Short portion 72 of long cylinder 70is temporarily deformed as hardware platform 76 is rocked into place,but returns to form after upper member 81 of hardware platform 76 is inplace with short portion 72 protruding through the hole in verticalmember 81 and into the interior of crown molding 30, providing aprotected cable path 74 from the interior of crown molding 30 to theinterior space of the wall. Alignment ridges 45 and correspondingalignment channels 79 within hardware platform 76 are critical toinstalling hardware platform 76 and, as in this example, location beacon75. If gap 44 is too narrow during installation, then, as rear member 81and bulkhead mating portion 77 of hardware platform 76 are rotated intoplace while hardware pivot 80 is seated within curved hardware socket41, curved hardware socket 41 will be forced outward as the rear ofhardware platform 76 prematurely contacts upper portion 53, forcing theexpansion of gap 44 until hardware platform 76 seats fully againsthorizontal members 43, with gap 44 forced to its designed width.Alignment channels 79 provide fine-grained adjustment of gap 44 as theangled sides of alignment channels 79 slide against the angled sides ofalignment ridges 45 until seating at the precise width for which gap 44was designed. Two screws 78 through bulkhead mating portion 77 andbulkhead 50 lock in gap 44 and interlocking alignment ridges 45 andalignment channels 79 maintain it thereafter. If gap 44 is just slightlywider than designed, then front-most alignment channel 79 will be ableto engage front-most alignment ridge 45 after which point the angledsides of both alignment channels 79 will force a narrowing of gap 44 asthe angled sides of alignment channels 79 slide down the angled sides ofalignment ridges 45 until hardware platform 76 seats fully againsthorizontal members 43, with gap 44 aligned precisely to its designedwidth. If gap 44 is more than slightly wider than it was designed to be,then the bottom horizontal surface of hardware platform 76 betweenhardware pivot 80 and front-most alignment channel 79 will strike thetop surface of front-most alignment ridge 45, preventing hardwareplatform 76 from seating until gap 44 is reduced sufficiently foralignment channels 79 to engage alignment ridges 45 thereby securing aprecise gap 44 and a mechanically secure location for hardware platform76 and location beacon 75.

Previous to describing the installation process for a location beacon 75a system of multiple location beacons 75 was described in which accuracyand the mechanical security of location beacons 75 is critical tooperation. One of the benefits of the first embodiment of the presentinvention is the ability to easily install hardware such as a locationbeacon 75, and to install it in a manner that is concealed, able tobroadcast its location data, precisely located and mechanically securedin a simple manner requiring inserting two screws into a positionfavorable to tool access and one hole drilled through the back of themolding and into the wall. Additionally, the installation of additionalhardware such as location beacon 75, or any additional hardware thatmeets the form factor requirements immediately below, can be easilyinstalled without penetrating or damaging decorative face 32 of crownmolding 30 and also without penetrating or otherwise violating eitherlower compartment 33 of upper compartment 36.

The installation procedure for location beacon 75 can be applied to anydesired hardware that can be packaged within a form factor that can fitor otherwise be incorporated onto a length of hardware platform 76provided there is enough clearance between the structures on theinterior side of decorative face 32 and the desired hardware such thatthe entire assembly can be rocked sufficiently to allow hardware pivot80 at the front-most edge of hardware platform 76 to pass by theinner-most portion of hardware socket reinforcing structure 42 as theassembly is lowered into the interior of crown molding 30 forinstallation. This allows for a vast array of useful hardware to beinstalled easily and securely within crown molding 30 after the crownmolding has itself been installed high on the wall, and where thathardware has direct access to power cables within lower compartment 33and communications cables within upper compartment 36. As shown in theexample of location beacon 75 cables can also be safely transported toor from the hardware and into the wall through protected cable path 74of a long cylinder 70 installed as described above. Because crownmolding 30 is installed at least some distance below a ceiling, cablesentering or leaving the wall through protected path 74 of a longcylinder 70 can access any desired device installed on or within thewall to which crown molding 30 is mounted.

The installation of location beacon 75 within embodiment 2 of thepresent invention, whose straight section 96 is illustrated in FIGS. 14,15, 17 and 18 , is similar to the method described above forinstallation of location beacon 75 within straight crown molding section30 of embodiment 1 as described above. The structure of crown molding 96differs from that of crown molding 30 in that horizontal member 43 issingular and continuous in crown molding 96 and, accordingly, alignmentridges 45 in crown molding 30 are unnecessary and are eliminated fromthe structure of singular horizontal member 43 throughout the secondembodiment of the present invention. The structure of crown molding 96and crown molding 30 are otherwise identical. Alignment channels 79within hardware platform 76 of location beacon 75 as illustrated inFIGS. 8-10 are also unnecessary for installation within crown molding96, however they do not need to be eliminated for effective and secureinstallation within crown molding 96.

The installation process for a location beacon 75 within crown molding96 of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention is asfollows. First, the installer identifies a location within a straightsection of crown molding 96 where no other equipment, connecters forabutting sections 96, or other obstructions impede installation. Inparticular, upper portion 53 of the rear section of crown molding 96,bulkhead 50, the upper surface singular horizontal member 43 and curvedhardware pivot 41 should be free of obstruction. Second, a hole isdrilled through upper portion 53 of the rear section of crown molding96, positioning the hole to ensure alignment with a hole that is formedinto vertical member 81 of hardware platform 76. The hole through upperportion 53 must be drilled at an angle using an appropriate drill guidefor drill placement. The drill bit must be appropriate for drillingthrough FRP, such as an abrasive bit. After drilling the hole throughupper portion 53, long portion 71 of long cylinder 70 is inserted intothe hole and protruding through upper portion 53 of crown molding 30 andthrough the wall onto which crown molding 96 is installed, untillocating washer 73 is against the interior surface of upper portion 53of the rear section of crown molding 96. Location beacon 75 can thenthen be placed within crown molding 30 by first placing hardware pivot80 firmly within curved hardware socket 41, with the rear of hardwareplatform 76 toward bulkhead mating portion 77 elevated somewhat off ofthe portion of singular horizontal surface 43 closest to bulkhead 50 ofcrown molding 96. FIG. 18 of the second embodiment illustrates adifferent piece of hardware, shown in a position and at an attitudesimilar to that of location beacon 75 at this point of installation.Hardware platform 76 and, accordingly, location beacon 75 can now berotated into place with hardware pivot 80 of hardware platform 76 firmlyseated against curved hardware socket 41. After rotation hardwareplatform 76 will be firmly mated against the entirety of singularhorizontal member 43, except where for alignment channels 79 if theyremain within hardware platform 76, bulkhead 50 and upper portion 53 ofthe rear section of crown molding 96. Short portion 72 of long cylinder70 is temporarily deformed as hardware platform 76 is rocked into place,but returns to form after upper member 81 of hardware platform 76 is inplace with short portion 72 protruding through the hole in verticalmember 81 and into the interior of crown molding 96, providing aprotected cable path 74 from the interior of crown molding 96 to theinterior space of the wall onto which crown molding 96 is installed.

An additional benefit of the present invention is the ability to installpower cables and communications cables within an assembled and installedsystem of crown molding 30 and any additional installed components ofthe system of the first preferred embodiment of the present inventionincluding inside corner 84 and outside corners which are made byapplying the same principles towards the same ends as described forinside corner 84. An assembly of installed crown molding sectionsincluding those described in the first embodiment of the presentinvention and others, such as outside corners built under the sameprinciples described, are assumed to be installed around the entireperimeter of an interior space at a height equal across all walls withinthe space which is substantially high on the wall and consistent withcrown molding installation, yet is also some distance below the ceilingto provide access within the crown molding and to allow adequate roomfor an light from lighting location 38 to indirectly light the spaceusing the ceiling. Light reflector assembly is not included in thisexample installation of a system of installed sections of the firstembodiment of the present invention.

Power cables are installed within the installed system of crown moldingdescribed in the first embodiment as follows, preceded by a descriptionof the benefits of the first embodiment of the present invention as itrelates to cable protection for the installed power cables. In thisexample, MC-type metal armored power cables are selected for power cableinstallation. This selection is not meant to be limiting for thisembodiment or the invention as a whole, but rather illustrative of onepossible selection. Under NFPA 70: National Electrical Code, MC cablemust be protected from physical damage. As it relates to the firstembodiment of the current invention, MC cable is afforded protectionsagainst harms due to cable bends that are sharper than the minimumallowable bend radius as well as protection from inappropriatepenetrations when installed behind decorative face 32 within anyinstalled components of the present invention. The NEC specifies theminimum bend radius for MC cable as 7 times the outside diameter of thecable. In this example 12-2 (two 12 gauge individual conductors forpower with a separate 12 gauge equipment grounding conductor) MC cablewill be used to distribute one or more standard 110 volts AC branchcircuits for lighting at 20 amps. A popular brand of 12-2 MC cable hasan outside diameter of 0.475 inches, resulting in a minimum bend radiusof 7*0.475 inches or 3.33 inches. Cable path 87 is built within insidecorner 84 as illustrated within FIGS. 11-13 , and in a correspondingoutside corner, and curves along its inside edge at a radius ofapproximately 4 inches, which is well larger than the specified minimumfor this example using 12-2 MC cable. This uniquely protects installed12-2 MC cable from being pulled against the otherwise sharp corner ineither an inside corner (against the sharp corner of the rear of theintersecting decorative faces of the crown molding) or an outside corner(against the sharp corner where the walls meet). This pulling of thecable causing an unsafe sharp bend can occur during installation oranytime thereafter absent a large diameter curved path 87, especiallywhen the cables or equipment connected to the power cables are beinginstalled, removed or serviced. Cable path 87 protects the installedcables from unsafe bends by providing a path that inherently preventsthem from bending sharply, whether by pulling the cables at installationor any subsequent actions which result in pulling. It is noted here thatthe description within the first embodiment of a curved path 87 with aradius of approximately 4 inches is by way of example only, and notintended to be in any way limiting. If a cable with a minimum bendradius greater than four inches is to be employed within a system ofcrown molding as described within the first embodiment of the presentinvention, the entire system of crown molding could be enlarged suchthat the radius of curved path 87 if five inches, or any greaterdimension as needed.

The crown molding system described in the first embodiment of thepresent invention also protects the example 12-2 MC power cables frompenetrating damage in the following ways. First, the installation of themolding system itself to the walls of the interior space within which itis installed, in addition to the installation of any hardware such aslocation beacon 75, is designed such that a piercing fastener such as anail or a screw never penetrates decorative face 32 of the moldingsystem, and is never directed toward lower compartment 33 or curved path87, within which the 12-2 MC power cables will be installed. Second,throughout decorative face 32 from top to bottom as viewed in profile,and along the entirety of its length across all installed moldingsection types, is a purposeful increased directionality of reinforcingfibers 90, as illustrated in FIG. 11 of the first preferred embodiment.The base crown molding of this invention, as described in the inventor'sU.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/011,474, will likely include adecorative face reinforced with a bi-directional mat whose fibers extendorthogonally to each other in two directions. This application of abidirectional mat of reinforcing fibers within the decorative faceprovides for a decorative face that is preferentially stiffer than theattachment portion of the crown molding of the previous invention.Increased directionality of reinforcing fibers 90 refers to a purposefulincrease in the reinforcing fibers, over and above that required toimplement the characteristics of the previous invention, with thespecific purpose of causing a fracture of decorative face 32 if it ispenetrated by a nail, screw or any other penetration that attempts toexpand the FRP material that comprises decorative face 32. Althoughincreased directionality of reinforcing fibers 90 is one method ofdesigning decorative face 32 to fracture upon penetration which requiresexpansion of the FRP material, any other materials engineering designpractices such as polymer selection, polymer mixing, different curetimes or temperatures may be employed to support the implementation ofthe present invention whereby it protects cables behind decorative face32 by being designed to fracture upon penetration requiring expansion.

Having described the benefits of this invention to protecting cablesfrom unsafe bends and protecting cables behind decorative face 32 frompenetrative injury, installation can now be addressed. Power cables 34,12-2 MC cables in this example, will exit the electrical panel insidethe wall underneath one section of the installed crown molding system ofthe first preferred embodiment of the current invention. The MC cablescan be fished up the wall to one or more holes drilled in the upperportion 53 of crown molding straight section 30. This hole will bepurposefully drilled larger than the diameter of the MC cable to bepulled through and into the interior of crown molding for two purposes,first to allow the pulling mechanism such as a fishing wire commonlyused to pull electrical wire through the hole along with the MC cableand, second, to allow the MC cable to move and change its attitude as itemerges into the crown molding thereby preventing damaging sharp bendsas it is routed into lower compartment 33. The MC cable is placedthrough gap 44, which affords easy access to lower compartment 33 forthe 12-2 MC cables of this example, of which two are installed intolower compartment 33. The MC cables can then be pulled or placed furtheralong lower compartment 33 passing under many installed horizontalreinforcing members 49 which are installed at each framing member withinthe wall, and also under each piece of installed hardware such aslocation beacons 75 until the MC container reaches a piece of installedequipment within the molding to which the cable is to be connected toprovide power, such as to an LED light controller and driver, such aswould commonly be employed to power an LED light strip 39 installed ontolight location 38. It is noted here that the cable can be pulled underall installed structures and through all installed curved cable paths87, up to the maximum number or amount of bends allowed by theelectrical code, and can be done without that pulling causing any unsafebends. Further, all structures installed on horizontal surfaces 43within a crown molding straight section 30 serve to keep power cables 34within lower compartment 33 as they are pulled, and curved paths 87having an upper portion that curves in profile to keep power cables 34within curved paths 87, such that pulling the cables is easilyaccomplished while keeping power cables 34 properly placed. Gap 44 alsoserves to make multiple pulls for one long run of cable that travelsthrough too many bends for one pull easy in that, at the point betweenmultiple pulls, power cables 34 are simply pulled along so that at themidpoint of the pull they exit lower compartment 33 through gap 44.There, power cables 44 are pulled out of the molding after being pulledthrough an acceptable number of bends, while power cables 34 prior toexiting are held within lower compartment 34 by the closest horizontalreinforcing structure 49, so that the entire pull from its start to thatclosest structure 49 to the pull exit point is kept within compartment33 by many horizontal reinforcing structures 49 at each framing memberwithin the wall, any additional hardware installed on horizontalsurfaces 43 between structures 49, and by the upper portion of curvedpaths 87. The pull can be completed by repeating the same process asmany times as needed to get the cables to their intended destinations.

Gap 44 between horizontal members 43 within crown molding straightsections 30 also allows for the example MC cables to enter equipmentinstalled on horizontal surfaces 43. The example cited above, of an LEDlight controller and driver for LED light strip 39, is connected to apower cable within lower compartment 34 as follows. First, the LEDcontroller and driver is packaged into a container similar to electricalcontainer 102 as illustrated in FIGS. 17 and 18 of the second preferredembodiment of the present invention. Electrical container 102 will beadapted to be installed within a straight section of crown molding 30 asin this example by the exclusion of any holes through bottom wall 107and the inclusion of two alignment channels within the bottom surface ofbottom wall 107, such that they can interface with alignment ridges 45as described for hardware platform 76. All electronics associated withcontrolling and driving LED light strip 39 are contained in the centerportion of the adapted electrical container 102, which may be ofincreased length measured as the distance between side walls 104 asneeded. On either side of the LED driver and control electronicsportion, and within electrical container 102 is an open space sufficientfor the individual conductors within MC power cable 34 to emerge fromthe metal armor of MC cable 34, and be securely connected to terminalswithin the space for each of the conductors. These terminals for theindividual conductors of power cable 34 are included on each side of theLED driver and controller electronics, and the LED driver and controllerelectronics are electrically connected to one set of terminals fromwhich it draws the power to operate and to light LED light strip 39 asdesired. Additionally the terminals on each side of electrical container102 are connected to each by other by insulated conductors which travelsafely past the centrally located LED driver and control portion,thereby connecting the power cable 34 entering electrical container 102through one side wall 104 to the power cable 34 exiting electricalcontainer 102 through the opposite side wall 104, whose individualconductors are also connected to the terminals within its empty spaceportion of electrical container 102. This results in passing all of theelectrical power carried by entering power cable 34, minus theelectricity used by the connected LED driver and controller, throughelectrical container 102 with exiting power cable now able to transmitthe remaining power to other similarly installed and connected devices.The final additional components are standard MC cable connectors, oneeach of which are installed on each side wall of container 202, andaccepts one MC power cable 34 which enters the connector orientedperpendicularly to side wall 104, wherein its metal armor is terminatedand tension relief provided and the individual conductors are passedthrough safely to the respective empty space within electrical container102. This orientation of MC power cables 34 at their respectiveterminations perpendicular to side walls 104 allows for power cables 34to rise and fall naturally from lower compartment 34 to their respectiveconnection points at hardware container 102 side walls 104.

There are simple improvements which can be made to a system of crownmolding such as described in this first embodiment of the presentinvention which can render the lower compartment a wet location,suitable for containing electrical cables recognized and certified foruse in a wet location. A wet location under the NEC is one which isexpected get wet, such as outdoors and not under cover, yet has adequatedrainage so that the cables location does not become submerged. This canbe achieved in lower compartment 33 by drilling drainage holes at thebottom of lower compartment 33. This would occur at manufacturing, afterthe pultrusion process, as a secondary operation. A drill could bepositioned on an assembly line so that as crown molding 30 passes by,that drill and appropriate abrasive drill bit could drill a holeperiodically through the outer surface of the curve between bottom-mostpoint 46 of crown molding 30 and lower rear contact surface 47 as viewedin FIG. 2 . This hole would continue through and into lower compartment33, providing drainage. These holes could be sized and spaced to providesuitable drainage of lower compartment 33. The surface between lowestpoint 46 and lower rear contact surface 47 is ideal for drainage holesas it is hidden in shadow and obscured from view, by design. Withdrainage holes in place MC cables rated for a wet location, MC cableconnectors rated for a wet location, and standard gasket use at thejoint of an electrical container and lid could all be combined toprovide power distribution suitable for deployment outdoors. Inaddition, locating washer 73 of long cylinder 70 can be engineered usingstandard methods and practices known in the art to provide a watertightseal when it is compressed between rear wall 108 of an electricalcontainer 102 and upper portion 53 of the rear section of crown molding30, providing watertight cable entry to electrical container 102 forpower cables 34 from the wall.

With protection, distribution and connection of power cables within aninstalled system of crown molding as described in the first embodimentof the present invention described, the protection, distribution andconnection of communications cables within upper compartment 36 will nowbe described. This description will focus on copper conductorcommunications cables such as communications cables 37 within uppercompartment 36. Communications cables 37 can enter a straight section ofcrown molding 30 by passing through a hole drilled through upper portion53 of the rear section of crown molding 30. The communications cables inthis example are Category 6 shielded non-metallic sheathed cable and, assuch, will require abrasion protection to safely travel through the walland upper portion 53 of the rear molding section of crown molding 30 andinto the interior of crown molding 30. Long cylinder 70 can provideabrasion protection for safe entry of communications cables 37. FIG. 15of the second embodiment of the present invention illustrates anassembly of crown molding 96, hardware platform 76 and long cylinder 70used to provide a safe cable path for from the interior of crown molding96 into the wall for camera communications and power cable 101. The sameassembly of crown molding 30, hardware platform 76 and long cylinder 70,where platform 76 as shown in FIG. 15 is adapted with two alignmentchannels added within the underside of its horizontal member such thatthey correspond with alignment ridges 45 within crown molding 30 canprovide safe passage of communications cables 37 from within the wall tothe interior of crown molding 30. The communications cables 37 can thenbe routed to upper compartment 36, and distributed around the interiorspace. The NEC specifies a minimum bend radius for non-metallic sheathedlow power communications cables of four times the outer diameter, whichfor typical Ethernet cables is approximately one inch. This minimum bendradius is considerably smaller than that for power cables 34, and cablepath 87 is sized accordingly. This invention allows for communicationscables to be run within a completely separate cable path which willinherently limit bends to a radius that prevents unsafe bends, as wellas being installed behind decorative face 32 which contains an increaseddirectionality of reinforcing fibers designed to fracture decorativeface 32 upon being pierced with any fastener that will require expansionof the FPR, as previously described, thus providing a cable location,path and protection that is easy to install, and accessible to a widerange of equipment which can be installed within crown molding 30.

Now turning to another implementation example of the first embodiment ofthe present invention, the deployment of a DC voltage grid newlydeployed in an existing building along with an LED lighting system, allinstalled within a system of crown molding components described in thisfirst embodiment of the present invention also utilizing light reflectorassembly 31 to increase efficacy of the LED lighting system and todistribute the additional cable capacity necessary for the DC grid.

First, installation heights for the crown molding system and lightreflector system are chosen so that the top edge of light reflector 55is positioned a short distance below the ceiling and the crown moldingsystem is positioned a short distance below the lower edge of lightreflector, approximating the spacing illustrated in FIG. 1 of the firstpreferred embodiment of the present invention. The crown molding systemincluding straight sections 30 and any inside or outside corners neededare installed on the wall, along with light reflector assembly 31brackets 60. Cable tray 56 is then installed, using existing ventilatedbottom cable tray that is supported by brackets 60 is installedselecting existing cable tray corners that themselves inherently protectpower cables 59 within cable tray 56 from unsafe bends. Note here thatthe use of a cable tray 56, and the use of brackets 60 to support cabletray 56 is not meant to be limiting, but illustrative by way of example.Other cable tray structures are available which are supported by thewall directly and others which are hung from and supported by theceiling. Either wall mounted cable tray or ceiling hung cable tray wouldremain substantially if not entirely concealed by light reflector 55and, given the function of 55 as a light reflector, would be furtherobscured by shadow. Any safe mechanism of supporting extra cablecapacity behind light reflector would fulfill this purpose of the firstembodiment of the present invention.

After cable tray 56 has been installed, and the number of powerdistribution cables has been calculated, the power cables that will berun can be entered from the wall behind light reflector 55, using commonmethods in the electrical arts, and placed and run within cable tray 56consistent with known methods and standards of cable tray wiring. Thencrown molding 30 and any other inside and outside corners can be wiredwith its capacity of power cables 34, and as many communications cables37 as upper compartment 36 can carry. If additional capacity forcommunications cables is needed, then a cable tray divider 57, known inthe art, can be installed within cable tray 56 and additionalcommunications cables 58 can be distributed within light reflectorassembly 31. After assembly of all necessary cables, electricalcomponents and hardware are complete within crown molding 30 and lightreflector assembly 31, light reflector 55 can be fastened into place,concealing all of the additional capacity contained within brackets 60and increasing the efficacy of crown molding 30 as a luminaire.

The advantages of deploying this invention with crown molding 30 andlight reflector assembly 31 working together are an increase in efficacyof LED light strip 39, resulting in reduced energy needed to produce thesame light level, and, separately, increased capacity for both powerdistribution, as would be needed for a DC power grid within a buildingthat powers many other devices in addition to LED light strip 39, andadditional communications cable capacity, as will be needed as theInternet of Things vastly increases the data produced by andcommunicated by non-computer devices including lighting systems. All ofthis is accomplished within an existing building where a suspendedceiling is not a desired option and is accomplished without opening up atrench along the interior walls to run cable, and maintaining easyaccess for maintenance, repair and upgrades for all system components.

The second embodiment of the present invention benefits from many of thesame characteristics as the first, such as an upper compartment 36 forcommunications cables 37, and a similar curved path 88 in the cornersfor communications cables 37. The major difference is the singular,continuous horizontal member 43 and corresponding lack of alignmentridges 45. This leads to a closed cable compartment 33 for a differenttype of power cables. The first embodiment of the present inventionrouted metal armored power cables in its lower compartment 33 and, giventhe large minimum bend radius of metal armored cable, cable path 87curves with a correspondingly large bend radius of approximately 4inches. Lower compartment 33 of the second embodiment of the presentinvention will contain non-metallic sheathed power cables (NM cable),which have a reduced minimum bend radius as compared to the samecapacity metal armored cables. The NEC requires a minimum bend radius of5 times the diameter of NM cable, and using the same cable capacity asprevious examples, a 12 gauge 12-2 NM cable with a diameter ofapproximately ⅜ inch has a minimum bend radius of 1.88 inches, or lessthan the approximately 2 inch bend radius of cable path 112 for themoderate diameter cable path for power cables within inside corner 109.

The method for introducing power cables into lower compartment 33 ofcrown molding 96 of the second embodiment is different, in that powercables enter directly into an electrical container 102 through a hole inupper portion 53 through protected path 74 of cylinder 70 as illustratedin FIG. 17 . NM power cables can then either be spliced with a similarbut separate power cable to be run within lower compartment 33, or fedthrough protected path 95 within short cylinder 91 whose locating washer94 is partially compressed between horizontal member 43 and a slightlyrecessed area within the bottom surface of bottom wall 107 of electricalcontainer 102, and into lower compartment 33. NM power cables can thenbe pulled using standard methods and practices around as many bends asallowed under the NEC and follow a path that through corners inherentlyprevents bends sharper than the minimum bend radius of the cable. Wherenm power cables are needed to power hardware mounted on horizontalmember 43, a similar method is used as described for exiting electricalcontainer through a short cylinder 91 whose locating washer 94 issandwiched between the upper surface of horizontal member 43 and theunderside of an electrical container 102 which contains the electricalequipment for the power cable to electrify.

FIGS. 14 and 15 of the second embodiment of the present inventionillustrate how camera 97, or other similar electrical equipment such asphoto sensors or motion sensors, can be mounted within parallel planesportion 54 of decorative face 32 of crown molding 96. This is anadvantageous placement of a camera or a photo sensor as it is separatefrom, and does not interfere with the two separate cable compartments 33and 36, and it is low enough on decorative face 32 that it is shieldedby the decorative face between the camera or sensor and upper edge 40 ofdecorative face 32 from the indirectly lit ceiling. This allows thecamera to get a clear view of the space it is installed in withoutexposure to too much light from the ceiling. Similarly, for the photosensor, which must measure the light level within the space, not at thelit ceiling, this favorable position enables more accurate readings.

Installing these sensors requires carefully marking and drilling a holethrough decorative face that is entirely within parallel planes portion54 of decorative face 32 using an abrasive drill bit that will notfracture decorative face 32. Camera 97 is then inserted through the holein decorative face 32 until bezel 98 seats against the outward facingsurface of decorative crown 32. Then installation nut 100 can be placedover the body of camera 97 and is threaded onto threaded portion 99 ofcamera 97 and then tightened against the flat and parallel interiorsurface of decorative face 32 until camera 97 is secured. Then power andcommunications cable 101, which delivers power and communication tocamera 97 using a protocol such as Power over Ethernet, can be attachedto camera 97 and safely enter the wall through protected path 74 of longcylinder 70 which is installed using methods previously described. It isnoted here that the method for installation of a camera or sensorthrough parallel planes portion of decorative face 32 is exactly thesame for a camera or sensor mounted in a crown molding 30 of the firstpreferred embodiment of the present invention.

Increased directionality of reinforcing fibers 90, as illustrated inFIG. 11 of the first embodiment of the present invention, will also beapplied in a similar manner to all decorative faces 32 within the secondpreferred embodiment of the present invention, providing similarprotection from penetrations as described above.

It is also noted that light reflector assembly 31 may be similarlyemployed with the second embodiment of the current invention, toincrease the efficacy of crown molding 96 as a luminaire, and to concealadditional cable capacity for both power and network cables.

The third embodiment applies the principles of the present invention toa different base crown molding structure. As described above, the thirdembodiment of the present invention uses standard crown molding, and aslong as the molding matches the spring angle for which the system wasdesigned and is above a minimum length from top to bottom as viewed inprofile, any molding with any pattern of decorative face may be used. Inthe example used to illustrate the third embodiment of the invention,the spring angle of the system is 45 degrees, and as long as the moldingis long enough from top to bottom to obscure installed hardware such aselectrical container 127 and curved path insert 139 from view to thosein the room. This system will be provided as a kit with moldinginstallation block 117 being sold alongside structure 123 or,alternately, light holding structure 137, as well as alongside curvedpath inserts 139 for both inside and outside corners. Electricalcontainers as well as LED light controllers adapted with a pivot 132 andhardware installation structures 133 could also be made available asparts of an economical and simple system to cove lighting within a home.If a system using structure 123 is chosen, then an electrical container127 could be installed, benefitting from the fundamental principle offavorably angled screw locations enabling easy, secure installation ofhardware within crown molding after it has been installed near the topof a wall by leveraging pivot 132 and socket 126 and resulting in easyinstallation of a secure electrical box within which a NM typeelectrical cable carrying household electricity can be safely routedinto electrical container 127 and allow a home owner to plug in standardstrings of ornamental LED lights and achieve a desirable, if notterribly efficacious, result. A system using LED light holding structure137 provides an opportunity for a more sophisticated and efficacious LEDlight strip installation with a favorable light location, in which casean LED light controller adapted for used with the system could beinstalled with electrical supply cables being safely routed in a cablepath that inherently prevents damaging bends.

Although members 43 in the first embodiment of the present invention,and member 43 in the second preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, and surface 120 in the third embodiment of the present areall previously described as horizontal, it will be understood that anymembers 43, member 43, or surface 120 that are other than horizontal yetserving the same purpose as described in the three preferred embodimentsof the present invention will still be within the intended scope of theinvention.

While the present invention has been described at some length and withsome particularity with respect to the several described embodiments, itis not intended that it should be limited to any such particulars orembodiments or any particular embodiment, but it is to be construed withreferences to the appended claims so as to provide the broadest possibleinterpretation of such claims in view of the prior art and, therefore,to effectively encompass the intended scope of the invention. As usedthroughout, ranges are used as shorthand for describing each and everyvalue that is within the range. Any value within the range can beselected as the terminus of the range.

What is claimed is:
 1. A molding (30) comprising: a rear section havinga wall attachment portion (51), a front section connected to the rearsection, said front section having a decorative face (32) including anouter side wall and an opposing inner side wall; a first compartment(33) formed within the molding (30) between the rear section and thefront section configured for receiving one or more electrical cables inthe first compartment (33); a second compartment (36) formed within themolding (30) at a segregated location from the first compartment (33)configured for receiving communications cabling in the secondcompartment (36); the decorative face (32) having an area (54)configured for securing at least one electrical device to the decorativeface (32); and a system for mounting electrical hardware (75) within thecrown molding (30).
 2. The molding of claim 1 wherein the area (54)configured for securing electrical equipment to the decorative face (32)is positioned between the first and second compartments (33, 36).
 3. Theluminaire of claim 1 additionally comprising a longitudinally extendingsupport structure having a location for mounting the linear lightsource, wherein the light emitted from the linear light source isdirected upwardly.
 4. The molding of claim 2 wherein the outer and innerside walls of the equipment securing area (54) of the decorative face(32) are coplanar.
 5. The molding of claim 4 wherein the equipmentsecuring section (54) of the decorative face (32) is positioned adjacentan outwardly curved section of the outer side wall of the decorativeface (32).
 6. The molding of claim 5 wherein said electrical device is amotion sensor.
 7. The molding of claim 5 wherein said electricalequipment is a photo sensor.
 8. The molding of claim 1 wherein the frontsection is connected to the rear section at a lower end (46) of the rearsection.
 9. The molding of claim 8 wherein the wall attachment portion(51) is adjacent an upper end of the rear portion, and additionallycomprising a bulkhead (50) attached to the rear section at anintermediate position between the attachment portion (51) and lower end(46), the bulkhead (50) defining another wall attachment location forthe molding.
 10. The molding of claim 9 additionally comprising areinforcing structure (49) which is detachably secured between thebulkhead (50) and the inner side of the decorative face (32).
 11. Themolding of claim 10 additionally comprising a cross member (43)connected to the rear section and extending towards the front section,the cross member (43) defining an upper boundary of the lowercompartment (33).
 12. The molding of claim 11 wherein the cross member(43) connects to the inner side of the decorative face (32).
 13. Themolding of claim 11 wherein the cross member (43) is positioned belowthe bulkhead (50).
 14. The molding of claim 12 wherein a gap (44) isformed in the cross member (43).
 15. The molding of claim 14 wherein thefirst compartment (33) is located below the bulkhead (50) and the secondcompartment (36) is located above the bulkhead (50).
 16. The molding ofclaim 1 wherein the second compartment (36) additionally comprises alower wall and an upper wall spaced apart from the lower wall, saidlower wall and upper wall extending orthogonally from the inner sidewall of the decorative face (32), the upper wall in closer proximity toan upper edge (40) of the decorative face (32) than the lower wall, andan inwardly directed notch formed on the lower wall and upper wall ofthe second compartment (36).
 17. The molding of claim 16 wherein theouter side wall of the decorative face (32) between the lower and upperwalls of the second compartment (36) is curved outwardly.
 18. Themolding of claim 17 wherein the first compartment (33) is configured toreceive metal armored electrical cables, and the second compartment (36)is configured to receive Class 2 cables as defined by the NationalElectrical Code (NEC).
 19. The molding of claim 16 additionallycomprising a linear light source mounted to the upper wall of the secondcompartment (36).